Rocky Mountain Voice

Rocky Mountain Voice

Two CVRs, one pattern: Arapahoe County rewrote its election record, critics say–and no one’s accountable
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Two CVRs, one pattern: Arapahoe County rewrote its election record, critics say–and no one’s accountable

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Arapahoe County quietly replaced its 2020 general election cast vote record (CVR) in early 2025 – years after the election was certified. The change came without public notice, audit, or oversight. The reason? A Yale professor raised concerns about a strange pattern in the data. That pattern, according to a growing number of analysts and lawmakers, was more than just strange. It was statistically impossible. “This is like flipping a coin 3,500 times and getting heads every time,” said Dr. Walter Daugherity, a Harvard-trained computer scientist who presented forensic findings at a press conference held Tuesday on the west steps of the Colorado Capitol. RMV covered the lead-up to the event in a story titled Analyst to reveal altered Arapahoe 20...
RMV keeps expanding its mission to inform, empower–and engage
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RMV keeps expanding its mission to inform, empower–and engage

By R.N. | Guest Contributor, RMV NE CO Newsroom At a recent Morgan County GOP gathering, RMV Ambassador Drake Hunter announced that Rocky Mountain Voice is expanding into Northeast Colorado with a new newsroom in Fort Morgan – part of a broader effort to support civic engagement and community journalism. “Rocky Mountain Voice isn’t just growing – it’s reaching communities across Colorado to ensure local voices are heard,” said Hunter. “By establishing newsrooms and encouraging engagement, we’re creating a space where citizens can be informed, connected, and empowered.” Behind every article, RMV stands for free speech, faith, and the Constitution. The organization stands for free speech, faith freedom, and protecting the rights of everyday Coloradans. “You don’t have to be the l...
Hunter: A Colorado pastor plants seeds of truth in faraway soil
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Hunter: A Colorado pastor plants seeds of truth in faraway soil

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, RMV NE CO Newsroom In Northeast India’s Ukhrul region, a small college is doing big work. Wung Theological College was built to make theological education accessible to those who’ve gone without it for too long. Founded officially in July 2022 after years of vision, planning, and a delay caused by the global pandemic, WTC is already making a difference. Its first offering – a Pastors’ Refresher Course – graduated 55 local pastors trained in mission, counseling, homiletics, and church administration. Since then, the college has launched Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) and Master of Divinity (M.Div.) programs and now serves 37 students with the help of five full-time faculty and more than twenty visiting professors. But for all its progress, WTC faces a cr...
Activism over science? Proposed ballot measure #82 would gut CPW authority, opponents say
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Activism over science? Proposed ballot measure #82 would gut CPW authority, opponents say

By Amanda Hardin | Rocky Mountain Voice Correction: We mistakenly said Initiative #82 was already in the signature-gathering stage. As of June 2, 2025, it hasn’t gone before the Title Board yet and isn’t cleared to collect signatures. We regret the error and have updated the article accordingly. Critics across Colorado’s hunting, ranching, and wildlife management communities are sounding the alarm over a 2026 ballot measure they say could upend science-based conservation and rural land rights. Initiative #82, called the Colorado Wildlife and Biodiversity Protection Act, would create a new regulatory body, the Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation Commission (WECC). The commission would hold far-reaching powers over endangered species protections, wildlife corridors, land use, and ev...
Montrose Commissioner Pond: The Constitution isn’t a suggestion—it’s a line in the sand
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Montrose Commissioner Pond: The Constitution isn’t a suggestion—it’s a line in the sand

By Sean Pond | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Something is happening in Colorado. You can feel it. Not on the surface, but beneath it. Beneath the silence. Beneath the carefully packaged language of equity, sustainability, and progress. We are being conditioned. Slowly, quietly, and deliberately. Conditioned to comply. Conditioned to accept change without question. Conditioned to believe that liberty is negotiable, that tradition is outdated, and that resistance is somehow wrong. But here’s the truth they don’t want you to hear. The Constitution doesn’t need to evolve. It needs to be defended. Freedom isn’t something you bargain with. It’s something you protect. And this get-along-with-everybody mentality? That’s the problem. That’s the trap. In my first 100...
O’Donnell: Behind the headlines, Colorado’s job growth tells a different story
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O’Donnell: Behind the headlines, Colorado’s job growth tells a different story

By Mike O’Donnell | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released April 2025 job creation numbers by state. The national numbers were released earlier in the month and for the nation as a whole 177,000 new jobs were created in April, and this was considered a “solid” number by those who consider themselves experts. Colorado’s share of that total was 8,400 and those same experts consider that an “exceptionally solid” month for Colorado. Somewhere, champagne corks were likely popped. Nonetheless, behind every number is a story and that story for Colorado is quite revealing.  Yes, Colorado added 8,400 new jobs in April – but 5,500 (65%) were in bars and restaurants, and 4,500 (54%) in health care and social assistance. ...
Hardin: Run for the Wall shows why patriotism still rides strong
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Hardin: Run for the Wall shows why patriotism still rides strong

By Amanda Hardin | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Every May, the sound of motorcycles echoes across America—not for show, but for something much more meaningful. Run For The Wall is a cross-country ride that honors the fallen and brings healing to those still carrying the weight of war. It begins in California and ends in Washington, D.C.  This year I had the privilege of joining the ride for part of its journey, riding the Central Route from Gallup, New Mexico, to Colorado. We rolled out of Gallup with nearly 500 motorcycles, riding two-by-two in a tight, powerful formation. New Mexico State Police escorted us across the entire state, blocking every exit, every intersection.  There was no stop-and-go. No honking horns. Just a smooth, protected path across miles of ...
Devotional: March in righteousness, not just good intentions
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Devotional: March in righteousness, not just good intentions

By Pastor Drake Hunter | Commentary, Elevating Life Church Every day, you're marching into a battle—whether you realize it or not. The question is: are you armored up, or are you walking into a war zone wearing flip-flops and good intentions? Religion alone won’t save you. It will load you down with rules while leaving your heart exposed. Wisdom, however—the real, raw kind that comes from fearing the Lord—will armor you up as you walk on the right path. It will train you to live well, fight smart, and win eternally (Proverbs 4:7). Listen carefully: you can’t walk two roads at once. You either follow Jesus on the narrow path of righteousness or stumble down the highway of wickedness. One leads to despair, shame, and foolishness. The other? Fulfillment, flourishing, and victory as a fu...
Bauer: What IS this new Community “Matanza” Celebration?
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Bauer: What IS this new Community “Matanza” Celebration?

By Shirley Bauer | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice With all the events in Hotchkiss, Colorado, on Saturday, May 10, chances are you may have heard of a new event—the second annual “Family, Faith, Freedom Fest Matanza Cook Off!” Hosted at the Fairgrounds by the Delta County Republican Party, this gathering was designed to bring people together to celebrate community, family, faith and freedom as well as Hispanic heritage and of course great food! Thanks to donors, prize money for the cook-off and pork for the contestants were provided. The idea for the event was from Arrhya Long, Vice Chair of the Delta GOP, whose heritage is part Hispanic. In collaboration with Leslie Parker, Chairwoman of the DCRCC; David Moran, PCP for Delta County GOP and HD54 Chairman; and Pastor Jo...
Gotlieb: You know you’re from Colorado when… 
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Gotlieb: You know you’re from Colorado when… 

By Dorothy Gotlieb | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Former legislator and longtime Denver public servant Dorothy Gotlieb has compiled this list of Colorado quirks and cultural touchstones. You might laugh, nod in agreement – or want to add your own. Over the years, there have been several versions of a “You Know You’re from Colorado When…” list. The following is just one of the latest.  Everyday observations You ask someone you meet, “Where are you from?” You recognize FIVE seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter – and Construction! Your side of the street looks like a winter wonderland, but there’s no snow on the other side of the street. You are pretty sure that you have seen a bank, a carwash, and/or a dispensary on every block. You know that “Mile Hi...