Colorado Election Officials Question Sweeping Federal Records Request Following Trump's Push to Free Peters
Colorado's top election officials are raising concerns about an unprecedented federal request for state voting records that may be connected to former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters' ongoing legal saga, according to Colorado Public Radio.
The U.S. Department of Justice's sweeping demand for Colorado's 2024 election records comes just one week after former President Donald Trump called for Peters' release from La Vista Correctional Facility in Pueblo, where she is serving a nine-year sentence.
Local Impact on Colorado Counties
Matt Crane, head of the Colorado Clerks Association, warns this federal inquiry could burden local taxpayers across the state's 64 counties. "To fill a request like this will take a lot of man hours and be very expensive to the taxpayers of each county," Crane emphasized.
"In 25 years of working in elections in Colorado, I've never seen a request from the DOJ or heard of a request from the DOJ as expansive as what this is," Crane stated.
Concerns Over Federal Overreach
Secretary of State Jena Griswold expressed skepticism about the DOJ's request, noting several red flags:
- Multiple typos in the official letter
- Incorrectly referring to Colorado as a "commonwealth"
- Unprecedented scope of records demanded
- Timing following Trump's social media statements
The request specifically demands "all records relating to any application, registration or other act requisite to voting" from Colorado's 2024 federal elections, with only a 14-day compliance window.
Connection to Peters Case
The timing and nature of the request align with arguments made by Peters' legal team during her trial, where they claimed copying voting machine hard drives was necessary to preserve election records. This interpretation has been rejected by Colorado election officials.
For Colorado communities already managing tight budgets, this federal demand could create significant administrative and financial burdens. County clerks are being advised to consult with their legal teams as this situation develops.
Griswold's office has initially responded by providing the state's master voter file, which is publicly available, but questions remain about whether additional county-level data will be required and who will bear those costs.
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