A Different Perspective

As a small businessman and election law expert, Scott Gessler has experienced the real-world concerns of citizens and businesses. The Secretary of State must look at the practical effects of his or her decisions – not merely manage a bureaucracy or administer policies. The Secretary’s decisions have real consequences for our lives and our prosperity.

Professional Background

Scott Gessler has dedicated much of his adult life to fair and open elections. As a private election law attorney, he has been actively involved in every aspect of elections, often being called in when things go wrong. He has taught election law, served on bipartisan boards and commissions, and been widely recognized for his work in election law.

Scott started his career as a federal prosecutor for the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. After several years of government service, he returned home to manage the family construction company. He served as an Army Reservist for 16 years, and following an overseas deployment to Bosnia moved to Colorado, where he specializes in election law.

He received his undergraduate degree from Yale, law degree from University of Michigan, and MBA from Northwestern University.

Family

Scott and his wife Kristi are the proud parents of their two-year-old daughter Sofia and call Denver home. When not campaigning, Scott is with his family.

Election Law

Scott has repeatedly fought for fair and open elections, even when facing controversy. He:

• Brought a Voting Rights Act lawsuit on behalf of Hispanic voters and a Hispanic candidate.
  
  
• Successfully fought to ensure open access to Colorado’s ballot for Republicans, Democrats, and third-party candidates.
  
  
• Defended First Amendment rights against attempts to restrict free speech. He has led the fight in striking down unconstitutional campaign finance laws, and he publicly took on a district attorney who sought to prosecute conservative activists for their political speech.
  
  
• Fought efforts by the Colorado Reapportionment Commission to politically gerrymander state Senate and House districts in 2002.

Scott has also served on bipartisan election boards and commissions, including the Election Reform Commission that made recommendations to the General Assembly following the 2008 elections. He has taught election law at the University of Colorado law school and has been recognized by the Colorado Bar Association and Colorado Super Lawyers for his work in election law.

Other Stuff

Following law school, Scott rode his bicycle 5,300 miles cross-country, starting in Chicago and making a loop to the Pacific Ocean in northwest Washington, down the coast to San Diego, and across the desert to Flagstaff, Arizona.

Scott served overseas with the U.S. Army, twice. As a law school intern he worked in Heidelberg, Germany, where he had a chance to visit East Berlin before the fall of the Wall. In Bosnia as an Army officer, he ran a Civil-Military Cooperation Centre in Gornji Vakuf, and Travnik, both in British Multi-National Division Southwest.

Scott’s grade school was Gross – Gross Elementary School in Brookfield, Illinois. And he attended high school next to the zoo – at Riverside-Brookfield High School. Seriously.

Scott is not a native of Colorado, but he had the good sense to marry one – Kristi Gessler, a fourth-generation native. And his daughter Sofia qualifies as a fifth-generation native.