Dear Editor,

On Friday, December 8, the Executive Board of Colorado County Clerk’s Association sent out an email directed to all elected officials in the State of Colorado. To summarize the letter, All Clerks, including myself, are asking for all elected officials to stand up and assure Coloradoans that our elections are secure and among the best in the nation, because in fact, they are.

The letter discusses the many efforts over the last few years to undermine our elections. The bottom line is, the people attempting to undermine the elections with mis/disinformation and flat-out lies, do not have the facts. They might think that they do, but they do not, and they use dishonesty and lies for their own political gain. This issue of election mis/disinformation is severe and must be addressed.

As you know, elections are the backbones of our democracy. Undermining an election, or the attempt to undermine one, is not an American ideal. Continuing to support the lies undermines our Constitution.

I pride myself on my integrity and honesty. I follow the rules set out by the Secretary of State to keep our elections transparent, secure and accurate. There are many, many checks and balances involved in our electoral process and I invite everyone to become an election worker, a watcher, or just ask a lot of questions, and learn just how many safeguards are in place. Those who have asked questions, have been surprised by just how many safeguards are in place.

I want ALL eligible voters to vote in our 3 elections in 2024 and know that their vote is counted. I, and my staff, are highly trained, and we practice and prepare all year long for an election. We will continue to work in bipartisan and multi-partisan teams to hold each other accountable as oversight is critical. Each stage of an election is observed and complies with federal and state law.

I invite everyone to have the courage to stand up for our elections. For all elected officials, the majority of voters in your district voted for you and entrusted you to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the state of Colorado. There is nothing about my job as Clerk and Recorder that is partisan and I myself take my oath of office very seriously. I need elected officials and voters everywhere to come forward and help correct the record and regain trust taken from our elections by bullies and bad actors who have a concerted effort to deceive.

If at ANY time you have a question, please reach out to ME. Please don’t ask your friend or neighbor or a stranger on the internet. Please don’t listen to pundits creating sensationalism on the news. If you are paying someone for info, you are paying too much. Ask ME, as I am the designated election official for this county, I am the professional and the expert and I will talk with you for FREE. Anything less is participating in the deception. I have no shame in saying if I don’t know the answer, I will find out and get back to you.

Register to vote, or update your registration, at GoVoteColorado.gov and make a plan to vote in 2024. Thank you for your time and let’s all spread the truth for all of our elections!

Sahari McCormick

Gilpin County Clerk and Recorder