It’s official: Bernie Buescher is Colorado’s next Secretary of State. What does that mean for our state’s elections?

More on that in a moment on the Face The State Radio Minute.

Friday, Gov. Bill Ritter concluded a month-long search process when he appointed state Rep. Bernie Buescher to the office of Secretary of State. He will replace the current officeholder, Mike Coffman, who was recently elected to the U.S. Congress.

The Secretary of State is Colorado’s highest elections official, tasked with ensuring a fair, non-partisan vote count. Ritter of course tapped a fellow Democrat for the vacancy appointment, and Republicans will put forward a challenger to try and re-claim the seat in 2010. But in the short term, Coloradans can give thanks Ritter opted for a moderate administrator, rather than the more liberal runners-up Ken Gordon or Andrew Romanoff.

I wish Buescher all the best in his new job. Maybe he’ll find a way to fix the state’s voting-machine mess and clearing up voter fraud.

For FaceTheState.com, I’m Brad Jones.