County clerks demand evidence of election fraud | Politics | gjsentinel.com
A group of county clerks from around Colorado mobilized on Sunday to demand that clear and compelling evidence of election fraud be provided to law enforcement officials.
Gathering at the state Capitol in Denver, clerks issued the demand ahead of planned rallies this week by election conspiracy groups, a news release said.
Colorado clerks have endured an unprecedented assault on election processes and their own integrity by election deniers and conspiracy theorists over the past two years, the news release said.
Claims have been ongoing about election fraud but no actual evidence has been produced, the news release said.
“I am here today to deliver a specific and unwavering demand on behalf of county clerks,” said Weld County Clerk Carly Koppes. “We call on the individuals behind these allegations and ongoing disinformation to immediately do the following: Provide actual evidence of problems with our systems to law enforcement, either through county district attorneys or through direct outreach to the Colorado Attorney General.”
Koppes, president of the Colorado County Clerks Association, went on to ask that investigations be made that “would either substantiate or refute your claims.”
County election officials have repeatedly asked that individuals and organizations advancing disinformation about Colorado’s election systems and processes produce actual evidence that can be examined and investigated fully.
Where evidence has been provided, in limited circumstances, it has been found to be wrong or incomplete, the release said.
“County clerks, no matter what party we are from, want to see high voter participation for everyone because robust and diverse participation is a sign of a healthy democracy. These false claims about our election system hurt us all, but perhaps in this moment they hurt the political party they most intend to serve,” said Molly Fitzpatrick, the Democratic Clerk and Recorder from Boulder County. “Representative elections are predicated on the participation of all citizens, regardless of political ideology. If citizens don’t have trust in the process, they are unlikely to take the time to participate. We have safe and secure elections in Colorado and will continue to demonstrate to the public this is true.”
Over the past two years, clerks have been subjected to increasing hostility, and in some cases threats, over claims about election security and accuracy.
“We have taken the unprecedented step to gather today as each of our county’s’ chief election officials because we can no longer stand by while a small group of well-funded conspiracy theorists prepare to gather on our Capitol steps to further share their half truths and lies,” said Tiffany Lee, the Unaffiliated Clerk and Recorder for La Plata County.
The goal is to have safe and fair elections.
“I call this step unprecedented because county clerks don’t do this. We are elected at the county level by the people most of us have lived among for decades. We do the work of our offices with little fanfare. We do it because this is the way we serve our state and our country. We deliver the sacred American right to vote in safe and fair elections,” she said.
