Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

State

How BIOS password exposure could threaten election integrity
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

How BIOS password exposure could threaten election integrity

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Election security is key to a constitutional republic by, for, and of the people. Each part of the voting system should be designed to prevent interference. BIOS passwords are vital to this security. They are the first defense against unauthorized access to a voting machine's core settings. Recent concerns have arisen around how the exposure of BIOS passwords might allow bad actors to manipulate voting systems. Cyber security professionals argue this could create risks even without physical access to the machines. It’s important to consider how such exposure could disrupt elections.  The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) controls a machine's basic operations. It includes hardware settings and connectivity options. In vo...
Read More
Retired teacher and State Board of Education candidate Sherri Wright appointed to fill vacancy
No Comments
Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, State

Retired teacher and State Board of Education candidate Sherri Wright appointed to fill vacancy

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado Sherri Wright, a retired teacher and former local school board member, will fill a vacancy representing Congressional District 3 on the Colorado State Board of Education. The seat was previously occupied by Stephen Varela, who resigned earlier this month. Wright, a Republican from Cortez, is one of two candidates running for election for the seat on Nov. 5. The other candidate is Democrat Ellen Angeles. Wright, 71, was appointed to fill the vacancy by a Republican Party committee. She was sworn in Monday and will serve until Jan. 8, 2025, when whoever is elected will assume the seat. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
Read More
In sprint to Election Day, millions are being spent on Colorado’s ranked-choice voting proposal
No Comments
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

In sprint to Election Day, millions are being spent on Colorado’s ranked-choice voting proposal

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The last campaign finance report before Election Day shows millions are being spent on that would upend Colorado's election system in favor of ranked-choice voting, in which candidates are selected by order of preference. The Colorado Voters First committee has raised more than $4 million in the past two weeks. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Read More
Allen & Melanie Fuller: Preserve Colorado charter schools with ‘yes’ vote on Amendment 80
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Allen & Melanie Fuller: Preserve Colorado charter schools with ‘yes’ vote on Amendment 80

By Allen Fuller and Melanie Fuller | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As a husband and wife who both serve on the boards of different charter schools, and as parents of three students currently in K-12 schools in Colorado, we fully support not only Amendment 80, but also the incredible opportunity and personalization school choice creates. Colorado charter schools, which have been a multi-decade success story for children and families, are under constant attack. Amendment 80, on this year’s ballot, is the best long term insurance policy for protecting Colorado’s rich history of innovation in education. Amendment 80 is an essential addition to our state constitution. We strongly support it because we have seen firsthand how children thrive when families can choose public scho...
Read More
Trump Campaign calls for action over Secretary Griswold security breach in Colorado
No Comments
Approved, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Trump Campaign calls for action over Secretary Griswold security breach in Colorado

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff In a letter addressed to Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, representatives for Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc. have raised alarms over a reported disclosure of BIOS passwords for voting system equipment across the state. According to the letter, these passwords have been publicly accessible from at least August 2024 through October 24, 2024, without public notification from Griswold’s office regarding the security risk. The letter suggests that the passwords’ exposure presents an opportunity for unauthorized access to modify the Trusted Build of voting systems—a concern intensified by the upcoming election. The Trump campaign’s letter, issued through the Gessler Blue law firm, details the potential implications of the breach, emphasizin...
Read More
Republican Hartsook and Democrat Nilemo talk housing, crime, presidential preference in HD44
No Comments
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Republican Hartsook and Democrat Nilemo talk housing, crime, presidential preference in HD44

By Iris Pixler | Colorado Politics In House District 44 for the Colorado General Assembly, Republican Anthony Hartsook looks to continue his work by being elected to a second term, while Democratic opponent Alyssa Nilemo aims to win the newly redrawn district this November. No matter who wins, both candidates face a shifting political landscape in Douglas County and continued rapid growth. At first glance, you might think they have little in common. Still, Hartsook and Nilemo are fighting to represent the new district encompassing Parker, Stonegate, Sierra Ridge, Meridian Village, and Stepping Stone in Douglas County. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Read More
Caldara: Colorado’s political future under Proposition 131
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, completecolorado.com, State

Caldara: Colorado’s political future under Proposition 131

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado Out of the 14 statewide ballot questions, which by the way ties the record, it’s Proposition 131 that would bring the most political change and disruption with its jungle primaries and ranked-choice voting general elections. Assuming voter fatigue doesn’t keep voters from reaching this down-ballot issue, it’s the last of the statewide questions, it should pass. This is a prediction not an endorsement. It will pass because of its more than $15 million in funding, and because there is no effective or funded campaign against it, and generally voters are frustrated with both major parties. READ THE FULL STORY AT COMPLETE COLORADO Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not neces...
Read More
Ganahl: Exposing Colorado’s election failures, how citizen pressure uncovered what officials tried to hide
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Ganahl: Exposing Colorado’s election failures, how citizen pressure uncovered what officials tried to hide

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice During my run as the GOP Nominee for Governor in 2022, I talked to voters acrossColorado that didn’t trust our elections. 25% of Republicans didn’t vote. After the race, Idecided to dig in and see if I could find a way to restore trust for voters in the process. A month ago, I held a press conference to announce the results of that two-yearinvestigation backed by a dedicated team of researchers. We reported that we foundshocking gaps in our so-called “gold standard” elections.  Watch it here. Over 20 well-coordinated media pieces against me were published after that, withvarious politicians and their paid “experts” spouting prepared statements and similartalking points, calling me a conspiracy theorist and “reckless.” They hope...
Read More
Armstrong: Punishing the innocent with Colorado’s Proposition KK
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, completecolorado.com, State

Armstrong: Punishing the innocent with Colorado’s Proposition KK

By Ari Armstrong | Complete Colorado Imagine the screams from the left if, instead of facing a ballot measure to allow for tax-subsidized abortions, Colorado voters instead saw a measure to tax abortions to fund mental health for women dealing with matters pertaining to fertility, pregnancy, and raising children. “This is punishing people for exercising their basic rights,” we would hear. “This is not how we should fund essential services,” the chorus would chant. And the critics would be right. But, when it comes to new taxes on guns and ammunition, the same people who would don sackcloth and ashes over an abortion tax are all cheers and grins. Why the double standard? Abortion good, guns bad, is the basic orientation of our dominantly Democratic legislature. We get more of ...
Read More
Copeland: Colorado’s sex-trafficking crisis, an intersection of immigration and crime
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, denvergazette.com, State

Copeland: Colorado’s sex-trafficking crisis, an intersection of immigration and crime

By Dr. Tom Copeland | Commentary, Denver Gazette Immigration and crime are two of the top issues in this November’s election, according to polls. Where those two issues intersect tragically is sex trafficking, a $150 billion global industry. According to a recent investigative report by The Free Press, sex and labor trafficking of minors in the United States has more than tripled in the past four years — at least gauging by the number who have escaped slavery. That largely coincides with the opening of the southern border. Colorado is not immune to this trend. There is “market demand” for trafficked migrants; a recent bust in Florida arrested scores of johns, not just traffickers. Investigators with Shepherd’s Watch, a nonprofit which tracks commercial sex trends and identifies po...
Read More