Week 28: The Trump Administration is Trying to Sow Distrust in Elections

Dear Colorado Voter,

Did you know that not all secretaries of state oversee elections? (If you follow me on social media, then you do. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122122699785255242&set=a.122098661517255242 )

Karen Brinson Bell, the former Executive Director of NC's State Board of Elections, spoke to CO election administrators about conducting elections in a time of crisis. She oversaw elections in 2024 during Hurricane Helene and had a lot of tips and advice. She pointed out that elections in the U.S. have never been canceled – not during war, not during the 1918 Flu Pandemic, never!

You may recall that there was an election in New York City on 9/11/2001. That election was postponed for two weeks, not canceled. In contrast, Ukraine's Constitution forbids regular elections while the country is at war.

President Trump, a Republican, has been trying to sow distrust in our elections since he lost the 2020 election. He has succeeded with Tina Peters and my Republican opponent. Fortunately, the current county clerks, a majority of whom are Republican, do follow our chain-of-custody procedures, tabulate votes using machines (except in San Juan County which doesn't have machines) and conduct risk-limiting audits – all to increase trust in our elections.

I don't know why we in the U.S. elect partisan secretaries of state. This would be a great year for Colorado to lead the nation and elect a nonpartisan-type secretary of state.

Distrust in our elections is damaging. Walking the fine line of wanting to reassure the public that the reported election results are correct while being open to learning about possible problems is an important skill for election administrators. Ideally, when a crisis occurs, such as the June 2024 unintentional posting of Colorado's election passwords, an appropriate response plan is ready to implement and communicate to all affected.

NJ Governor Mikie Sherrill announced that more than 6,000 non-citizens were automatically registered to vote, even though they had stated in writing that they were not U.S. citizens; some of them did end up voting. Sherrill's immediate and decisive response, including how the state would prevent future errors, was applauded.

Attorneys in Colorado vs Trump recently revealed an email sent to U.S. department heads asking them to "Please come prepared to discuss immediate actions that your department or agency can take with respect to Colorado." The Trump administration wants to punish Colorado for its efforts to safeguard election integrity.

Elections are the purview of states, not the federal government!

With enthusiasm and purpose,

Celeste

P.S. Thanks to the owners of The Enchanted Oven for making and donating a beautiful and yummy cake for yesterday's Meet and Greet.