Author name: Jen Schumann

Court sides with new Colorado GOP Chair, blocks committee tied to former leadership

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A district judge in El Paso County has rejected an attempt by the Colorado Republican Party’s Investigative Committee—an entity formed under former chair Dave Williams—to intervene in a lawsuit that the party’s current leadership has moved to dismiss.

In a ruling filed April 23, District Court Judge Amanda J. Philipps found that the Investigative Committee lacks standing and legal authority to join or intervene in the ongoing civil case, saying the group was assigned “limited tasks” and does not possess independent power to act on behalf of the Colorado Republican State Central Committee (CRC).

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Colorado law limits what voters can verify—and critics say that needs to change

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Mesa County’s Ballot Verifier tool has been praised for giving residents unprecedented access to redacted ballot images and cast vote records. But for some longtime election integrity advocates, it’s only part of the solution.

“This is a great step forward,” said Ed Arnos, a Mesa County resident and former lottery systems designer. “But it doesn’t verify the most important part—how the ballots were actually read.”

Colorado law limits what voters can verify—and critics say that needs to change Read More »

From critics to champions: How a ballot transparency tool won over Idaho voters—and inspired Mesa County

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When Ada County launched a ballot audit tool built by a small independent company, no one knew what to expect. But what followed surprised even the clerk who helped shape it. 

Election skeptics became supporters, recount demands dropped and voters started tracking their own ballots—sometimes using nothing more than a $2 bill.

What began as a simple idea sketched on napkins between an Idaho election official and a civic-minded data entrepreneur would grow into a public-facing ballot verification platform now used by counties in multiple states, including Mesa County, Colorado.

From critics to champions: How a ballot transparency tool won over Idaho voters—and inspired Mesa County Read More »

Mesa County launches Ballot Verifier, giving voters unprecedented access to ballots

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Mesa County launched a first-of-its-kind ballot transparency tool last month, allowing residents to view redacted ballot images and corresponding cast vote records online—without filing a CORA request. Supporters say it could reshape public trust in elections. Others say it doesn’t go far enough.

But one thing is certain: Mesa County is at the heart of a national battle over election integrity, and the Ballot Verifier came to fruition out of demand — and the innovation of an election stats company that wanted to answer to it.

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Not political theater: Montrose federal intervention request grounded in Constitutional oath

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What does it mean to defend the Constitution? Two commissioners say this is what it looks like. On April 16, the Montrose County Board of County Commissioners voted 2–1 to send a formal Request for Federal Intervention to former President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Rep. Crank’s BLOC Act gains Mesa County’s support: “Align federal funds with public safety”

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Mesa County commissioners want federal dollars tied to immigration enforcement—and they’re backing Rep. Jeff Crank’s bill to make it happen.

During their April 15 administrative hearing, the Mesa County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a letter backing a federal immigration bill that would strip transportation funding from sanctuary jurisdictions that fail to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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Outnumbered but not outmatched: House Minority Leader Pugliese’s grassroots push

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At the Colorado Capitol, House Republicans are outnumbered two to one. But House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese is still swinging—and she’s not swinging blindly.

She’s drawing from somewhere real.

“My father started his life with 50 cents in his pocket and a dream to own his own restaurant.” Pugliese added, “Almost every day it feels like I’m back to having spare change and a big dream—only this time it’s at the legislature.”

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Self-defense on hold: House GOP announces letter to AG Bondi at capitol press conference

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A young woman in her twenties stood outside Rep. Scott Bottoms’ church recently and asked him for help—she needed a firearm. Not for sport. Not to make a point. For protection.

“She was worried, she was frightened… She had no way to protect herself,” Bottoms said during a House Republican press conference Wednesday. “She has to wait three days. She can’t even get her own firearm to protect herself.”

That delay, he argued, could be the difference between safety and tragedy.

It’s the kind of real-life scenario House Republicans say they had in mind when they gathered on the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol the morning of April 16 to speak out against SB25-003.

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HB25-1312 and the silencing of parents: What the Rocky Mountain Summit revealed

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From court-ordered gag rules to the looming threat of custody loss, this isn’t hypothetical — it’s happening now. Colorado families gathered at the Rocky Mountain Summit in early April to share what it means to raise children under a system that increasingly treats concern as abuse.

HB25-1312 and the silencing of parents: What the Rocky Mountain Summit revealed Read More »