Colorado county clerks call for critics to provide proof of election fraud

Pueblo County Clerk and Recorder Gilbert “Bo” Ortiz joined a bipartisan group of clerks from across the state in Denver on Sunday to address critics who have claimed that Colorado’s election practices are fraudulent to bring evidence to the table.

“We call on the individuals behind these allegations and ongoing disinformation to provide actual evidence of problems within our system to law enforcement, either through county district attorneys, or even directly through an outreach to the Colorado General Attorney,” Weld County Clerk Carly Koppes told reporters at the Denver County Elections Division.

County clerks and recorders said they are receiving an increasing number of emails, phone calls and office visits in recent months from constituents concerned about claims of fraudulent elections. These very from claims that thousands of fake votes were cast in 2020 using the identities of deceased Coloradans, to claims that Colorado’s election servers reside in China.

“These claims are often lengthy and full of jargon, and they do not provide proof or data,” said Molly Fitzpatrick, Boulder County Clerk and Recorder. “They consistently demonstrate a lack of understanding of our process.”

“These claims are often lengthy and full of jargon, and they do not provide proof or data,” said Molly Fitzpatrick, Boulder County Clerk and Recorder. “They consistently demonstrate a lack of understanding of our process.”

Ortiz said at least five different groups have become active in Pueblo in the past several months and have been working to mislead constituents and spread disinformation about issues including gun rights and elections practices.

“We got a lot of complaints from people saying that they voted, and these people were telling them that they hadn’t voted,” Ortiz said. “So, we had to prove to them, using our data and software, to show them that they voted.”