Election 2016
Former Colorado GOP chairman Steve Curtis found guilty of voter fraud, forgery
DENVER – Steve Curtis, the former chairman for the Colorado Republican Party, was found guilty Thursday by a Weld County jury of voter fraud and forgery.
Curtis, 58, was arrested in March and accused of signing his wife’s mail-in ballot for her, which is a misdemeanor in Colorado. He was also charged with forgery of a public record, a fifth-degree felony. Continue reading
Government watchdog to probe Trump’s election integrity commission after Bennet’s request
DENVER – The U.S. Government Accountability Office has taken up Sen. Michael Bennet’s request to review President Trump’s Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.
The GAO wrote back to Bennet Thursday saying it had accepted the request made last week by Bennet, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey to review the actions and motives of the commission, which was created in May after the president’s repeated, yet unsubstantiated, claims that millions voted illegally in last year’s election. Continue reading
Colorado secretary of state and ‘Hamilton Electors’ reach deal to expedite case
DENVER – A group of self-professed “Hamilton Electors” has reached a deal with Colorado’s secretary of state to drop him from the lawsuit and to only pursue $1 each in damages in the ongoing litigation.
The electors – Robert Nemanich, Polly Baca and Micheal Baca – filed their suit in August against Williams regarding a Colorado statute that required them to vote for the presidential candidate who won the state’s popular vote in last year’s General Election. Continue reading
Colorado Congress members want review of drug bill that cost Tom Marino ‘drug czar’ nomination
DENVER – Some of Colorado’s federal lawmakers say they are reviewing the ramifications of a 2016 law, of which two of the state’s congressmen cosponsored early versions, that some say has handcuffed the Drug Enforcement Administration in its fight against drug companies—something that was uncovered in a joint Washington Post-60 Minutes investigation published last week.
The two Republican members of Congress – Rep. Mike Coffman and Sen. Cory Gardner, who was in the House of Representatives when he cosponsored the bills – did not, however, put their names on the bill that contained the final language now being blamed by some for neutering the DEA’s diversion program, which aims to stop the flow of pharmaceuticals and scheduled drugs to non-official sources.
And they and other members of Congress from Colorado, who were present when the bill passed both the Senate and House unanimously, say the law may have created “unintended consequences” for the DEA’s power over the opioid manufacturers that might need to be fixed.
Several legislators have endorsed new bills that would reverse the language written into the law, but those from Colorado have yet to sign on, saying they are reviewing the matter. Continue reading
Sen. Michael Bennet calls for government accountability office to probe Trump voter fraud commission
DENVER – U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is doubling down on President Trump’s election integrity commission, and is now calling for the U.S. Government Accountability Office to probe the panel.
Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, along with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., sent a letter to the GAO Wednesday requesting the investigation while questioning the motives of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. Continue reading
Colorado’s election system was ‘scanned’ by Russians but not breached, DHS tells state
DENVER – Russians scanned Colorado’s election system for possible points of weakness in the weeks before last year’s election but were not able to penetrate it, the Department of Homeland Security told the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office Friday.
Colorado was one of 21 states DHS informed Friday were “impacted” by Russian activity in the run-up to the election. But the secretary of state’s office maintains it was not breached, as it has for months now. Continue reading
Study uncovers 48 cases of possible improper voting in Colorado in 2016, just 0.001% of total vote
DENVER – A five-state study that included Colorado, which looked at possible improper voting in 11.5 million voter records, uncovered 112 possible instances—48 of which happened in Colorado.
The study looked at 11.5 million voter records from Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Delaware and Maryland. The first three states are mail-in ballot states, while Delaware and Maryland voting is conducted at polling places. Continue reading
Colorado AG won’t prosecute ‘faithless elector’ Micheal Baca; Williams says he’s ‘disappointed’
DENVER – Colorado’s attorney general won’t prosecute the so-called “faithless elector,” Micheal Baca, who broke state law last December when he wrote John Kasich’s name on his elector ballot instead of Hillary Clinton’s as was required.
Baca was a Democratic elector for Colorado and was one of three so-called “Hamilton electors” from Colorado who had threatened to try and upend President Donald Trump’s victory by voting for another candidate on the electoral ballot. Continue reading
Colorado sends voter roll information over to Trump election integrity commission
DENVER – Colorado finally sent its voter roll information over to President Donald Trump’s election integrity commission on Tuesday, a day after the transfer was delayed due to “user error” in the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office.
The office had been set to send the information over to the controversial commission on Monday, but a spokeswoman for the office said a system lockout stopped the transfer. Deputy Secretary of State Suzanne Staiert told the Denver Post Monday night it was due to “user error.” Continue reading
5,300+ Colorado voters withdraw registration as state prepares to send info. to Trump commission
DENVER – More than 5,300 Coloradans have withdrawn their voter registration over the past month, new figures from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office showed Monday as the office prepares to send voter roll information over to President Donald Trump’s election integrity commission.
Secretary of State Wayne Williams will send the information over to the controversial commission by the end of business Monday, his office confirmed. Continue reading