Top Stories - Rocky Mountain Voice

Garbo: How Democrats weaponized–and betrayed American citizens while defending criminal illegal immigrants

Commentary, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories / April 24, 2025 / American citizens, Democrats, dUE pROCESS, Illegal Immigrants, J6, Justice, MS-13, Weaponization of government

Democrats have made their priorities unmistakably clear: American citizens come last. The people they swore to represent – the very citizens who pay their salaries and trust them to uphold the Constitution – are now treated as political enemies, stripped of basic rights, and left to rot in the name of partisan gain.

Meanwhile, violent foreign nationals, like MS-13 gang members, are given more care, sympathy, and legal protection than the American people ever receive.

This isn’t just hypocrisy. This is betrayal.

Garbo: How Democrats weaponized–and betrayed American citizens while defending criminal illegal immigrants Read More »

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

Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, National, State, Top Stories / April 23, 2025 / Ballots, Colorado election laws, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Election Integrity, election interference, Executive order, Mesa County, Trump Administration, voter integrity, Voter turnout

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

Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, National, Top Stories / April 23, 2025 / Ballots, Election Integrity, Idaho elections, voter integrity, Voter turnout

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

Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories / April 23, 2025 / Ballots, Election Integrity, Mesa County, voter integrity, Voter turnout

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.

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

Cole: Denver’s dangerous dance with low cash bail and ICE detainer policies puts public safety at risk

Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories / April 23, 2025 / Denver, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, ICE, Illegal Immigrants, Low cash bail, Public safety, Sanctuary cities

Denver prides itself on progressive values and compassion for its diverse communities. But recent events have exposed a troubling reality: the city’s criminal justice policies—specifically low cash bail for serious felony offenses and short notification windows for ICE detainers—are creating a revolving door for dangerous criminals, putting our neighborhoods at risk.

The case of Bayron Turcios-Murillo, a confirmed Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang member, is a stark example of how these policies fail to protect the public while allowing violent offenders to slip through the cracks.

Cole: Denver’s dangerous dance with low cash bail and ICE detainer policies puts public safety at risk Read More »

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

Rocky Mountain Voice, National, State, Top Stories / April 22, 2025 / 75th Colorado Legislature, Colorado Constitution, Constitutional rights, Democrat Lawmakers, Government overreach, Local Government, Montrose County, SB25-003

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.

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

Colorado Democrats ram through radical immigration bill with last-minute amendments

State, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories / April 22, 2025 / Immigration

In a move that’s drawing outrage from conservatives and constitutional advocates alike, Colorado Senate Democrats passed Senate Bill 25-276, a sweeping immigration “protection” bill, after rushing through five major amendments on third reading—sidestepping standard legislative norms and undermining federal immigration enforcement in the name of “civil rights.”

Colorado Democrats ram through radical immigration bill with last-minute amendments Read More »

Cole: Bureaucracy is crushing the people SSDI was meant to help

Commentary, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories / April 22, 2025 / Bureaucracy, Government Efficiency, Social Security Disability Insurance

When my mom applied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in the ‘90s, it was a grueling multi-year ordeal that left her feeling invisible. She was sick, unable to work, and the wait for help stretched across years, each one heavier than the last.

Now, a loved one who applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in August 2024 is still waiting for an initial decision, caught in the same slow grind. The SSDI system, meant to be a lifeline, feels like a treadmill you can’t step off—exhausting, endless, and indifferent to the people it’s supposed to lift up.

Cole: Bureaucracy is crushing the people SSDI was meant to help Read More »

El Paso Commissioner Applegate: America’s space advantage depends on keeping command in Colorado

Commentary, Local, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories / April 22, 2025 / COLORADO SPRINGS, El Paso county, National security, U.S. Space Command

As El Paso County’s Commissioner for District 4, I am committed to advancing our community’s interests, security, and prosperity. Among our top priorities is ensuring that U.S. Space Command remains headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.

This is not just a local issue—it’s a matter of national security and global leadership in space.

El Paso Commissioner Applegate: America’s space advantage depends on keeping command in Colorado Read More »

Polis Vetoes Open Records Bill—But Conservatives Say It’s Too Little, Too Late

Governor Jared Polis vetoed a controversial bill last Thursday that would have made it more difficult—and more expensive—for Coloradans to access public records.

Polis Vetoes Open Records Bill—But Conservatives Say It’s Too Little, Too Late Read More »