Election Integrity

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

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

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

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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Tina Peters asks court for relief, feds ask for caution—judge asks why

A federal judge on Tuesday struggled to understand why the United States government is claiming an “interest” in a relatively narrow issue related to the prosecution and conviction of former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters.

Although the government now alleges Peters’ state criminal case may have been politically motivated, the U.S. Department of Justice’s attorney would not say what evidence, if any, the department has to that effect.

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Griswold sues against Trump’s executive order on elections but is a case study for it

When Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced that she was joining a multi-state lawsuit to block President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) on election integrity, she declared the action a defense of democracy itself.

“We will not wait on the sidelines while Donald Trump tries to legislate from the Oval Office and defies the Constitution,” Griswold said in an April 3 press release.

But while Griswold accuses President Trump of federal overreach, her own record suggests a pattern of constitutional violations that have unfolded under the banner of election protection.

Griswold sues against Trump’s executive order on elections but is a case study for it Read More »

Rahn: Trump’s election order restores faith in voting

As a Frederick Douglass Republican and former Vice Chair of the Colorado GOP, I’ve always believed that a fair and transparent electoral system is the foundation of our nation. President Trump’s recent executive order, “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” addresses critical vulnerabilities in our election system—vulnerabilities that have eroded trust and threatened the integrity of our democracy. 

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21 Million Voters Can’t Provide Proof Of Citizenship — Making The SAVE Act Even More Necessary

The left-wing Brennan Center for Justice claimed that more than 20 million Americans “lack ready access” to proof of citizenship documents. What’s more, the group asserted that survey data shows nearly 4 million Americans “don’t have these documents at all.”

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