On January 8th, The Epoch Times posted the following headline:
Colorado Secretary of State’s Office Admits It Mailed Over 31,000 Voter Registration Instruction Cards to Noncitizens
What could possibly go wrong?
The article reports:
In October 2022, the Colorado Secretary of State’s office acknowledged that it mailed more than 31,000 voter registration instruction cards to foreign nationals living in the state.
The registration information was sent out in the months leading up to the 2022 midterm elections.
In a Jan. 5, 2023, press release, the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) stated, “The Secretary of State’s office blamed a ‘data analytical error’ for the noncitizens in 58 counties receiving voter registration materials.”
PILF, a national election integrity watchdog group, is investigating who was responsible for the mailing and how state election roll maintenance is conducted in Colorado.
Colorado’s contractual relationship with the Election Registration Information Center (ERIC), a nonprofit organization offering voter roll maintenance services to 32 states, needs to be examined, according to investigators (pdf).
In the press release, PILF alleged that “ERIC played a significant role in this error.”
This is where things stand now:
On Aug. 20, 2021, PILF formally notified Griswold (Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold) that she was in violation of federal law for failure to permit public inspection of Colorado’s state voter list, as required by the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).
The NVRA, also known as the “Motor Voter Act,” took effect in January 1995. It requires all states to allow qualified persons to register to vote when renewing their driver’s licenses or applying for social services.
PILF gave Griswold 90 days to “cure the violation” or face a lawsuit.
The Colorado Secretary of State’s office denied PILF’s request again in late November 2021.
A lawsuit was filed by PILF against Griswold on Dec. 16, 2021, in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.
The case is still pending.
The 14-page complaint contends that the requested records fall within the scope of the NVRA’s public disclosure provision.
The NVRA also requires state election authorities to preserve all voter list maintenance records for a minimum of two years.
The complaint provides documentation that Griswold admitted to retaining copies of the deceased voter list she receives from ERIC for “just a few months.”
The plaintiff has asked the court to declare Griswold is in violation of the NVRA, order her to provide PILF with the requested records, and enjoin her from denying similar requests in the future.
PILF President J. Christian Adams said in a statement, “The public should be able to see all of the records so we can hold election officials accountable.”
The Colorado Secretary of State’s office and ERIC didn’t respond to requests for comment by press time.
We really can’t change the fraud that happened in 2020, but we have a responsibility to make sure it never happens again.