By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette
State lawmakers can remove personal information before TRACER site restored
TRACER, the Secretary of State’s campaign finance website, was taken down on Saturday in the wake of the shootings of four individuals, including two lawmakers, in Minnesota.
Two of the victims, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, were killed in the attack by an individual who posed as a police officer. Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also shot but are expected to recover.
According to NPR, the suspect, Vance Boelter, had a “hit list” of 45 state officials, all Democrats. He was taken into custody Sunday and has been charged with state and federal murder charges.
TRACER, aka Transparency in Contribution and Expenditure Reporting, contains candidate information, such as names, addresses, phone numbers and websites. It also provides information on campaign donors, including addresses.
Candidates, including current lawmakers, are being allowed to redact personal information previously listed on the website.
That’s not new. Some candidates, including high-profile candidates such as those running for governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer and for statewide offices such as the House and Senate, have had their information redacted in the past.
The Secretary of State’s office is currently processing requests for redactions and anticipates the website will be back up soon.
The shootings in Minnesota have Colorado lawmakers on edge.