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Opinion: The Big Lie’s big objective: weakening Colorado election system.

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Opinion: The Big Lie’s big objective: weakening Colorado election system.


People are witnessing an unprecedented right-wing ideological try to undermine confidence in our American elections. We’ve got watched as different states and Washington, D.C. have confronted assaults on our election safety — all led by the Republican Occasion. And now it’s come to Colorado. 

Morgan Carroll

Over and over, we’ve seen the Colorado Republican Occasion throw open its doorways to election-security misinformation and place proponents of the Huge Lie entrance and middle at each alternative. The one actual election safety threats have come from indicted Republican County Clerk Tina Peters.

Early this month, a whole bunch gathered for the so-called “Election Fact Rally” organized by election conspiracy theorist and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell — however the rally was not just a few far-right fringe one-off occasion. It was carefully adopted by the Republican state meeting, which formally elevated conspiracy candidates like State Rep. Ron Hanks, Tina Peters, and former mayor Greg Lopez to the GOP major poll. 

READ: Colorado Solar opinion columnists.

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These are the following levels in a threatening, coordinated effort to weaken our elections system in Colorado. 

No Republican candidate, nor the Colorado Republican get together, has disavowed John Eastman, a earlier visiting CU Boulder professor, who was the architect of the plan to make use of the January sixth certification of state election outcomes to flip the presidential election to Donald Trump, and continues to be making efforts to flip the 2020 election. Eastman additionally was the first lawyer in a lawsuit by Rep. Hanks and different GOP officers to maintain unaffiliated voters out of the Republican major; the lawsuit has been dismissed by a choose. 

As an alternative of rejecting individuals like Eastman, the El Paso County Republicans, a Colorado GOP stronghold, invited January 6 revolt defender and election denier Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia to talk. 

The chair of the state Republican get together, Kristi Burton Brown — who was recognized in courtroom testimony as one-time chief of a bunch looking for to show election conspiracy — has mentioned she desires to maneuver on from claims of 2020 election fraud. Nonetheless, she has taken little to no motion to carry Peters or Hanks accountable for his or her roles in selling violence and harmful election conspiracies. 

As an alternative, Burton Brown truly invited Consultant Andy Biggs of Arizona to be the keynote speaker for the statewide GOP’s largest annual fundraiser on April eighth. Biggs is a nationwide voice on election conspiracies and promoted the bogus ‘forensic audit’ of Arizona’s 2020 elections. 

Over and over, we’re seeing harmful help for election fraud from Colorado Republicans and an absence of readability on what they plan to do if they’re elected. This haziness leads us to marvel concerning the worst potential outcomes within the title of “election integrity.”

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Will they cease mail-in voting? The GOP state delegates endorsed that in a decision at their meeting on April ninth.

What subsequent? Heidi Ganahl, a Republican candidate for governor, has already declared that the group U.S. Election Integrity Plan – whose armed volunteers have been reportedly harassing voters about their 2020 ballots – is “doing nice issues.” 

Will they take away drop-off poll containers and return to lengthy traces on the polls? Will they take away you from voting registration lists with out trigger?

Their actions thus far have confirmed that the GOP is reckless. We’ve got the nation’s gold-standard for secure elections, however that isn’t stopping the election deniers from coming for Colorado’s trusted system, too.

We all know the reality. County Clerks assembled in Denver on April third to remind all Coloradans that no legit proof of fraud or irregularities in our 2020 election has come to gentle. Moreover, we’ve got audit methods already in place to provide us confidence in our elections. 

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Not all conspiracy theories are innocent. That’s why we’ve got to push again with one voice and say: “Sufficient.” If the chair of the GOP gained’t absolutely denounce the election-denying wing of the get together and even promotes it, who will get up and converse the reality? Which Republicans might be principled sufficient to face as much as and disempower a pillow salesman’s lies? 

If you happen to’re represented by a Republican in Congress or the state Normal Meeting, name and ask them the place they stand. Something in need of agency help for the confirmed safety of Colorado’s elections is help for misinformation and disinformation. Coloradans need to know the place each Republican stands.

I can say unequivocally that Democrats will proceed to take care of a gentle hand defending our elections, the appropriate to vote, and can unite Colorado as an alternative of dividing it over fallacies and disinformation. Every other course isn’t just irresponsible–it’s harmful.


Morgan Carroll, of Aurora, is chair of the Colorado Democratic Occasion.


The Colorado Solar is a nonpartisan information group, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers don’t replicate the opinions of the newsroom. Learn our ethics coverage for extra on The Solar’s opinion coverage and submit columns, recommended writers and extra to opinion@coloradosun.com. 

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Toyota Game Recap: 12/22/2024 | Colorado Avalanche

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Toyota Game Recap: 12/22/2024 | Colorado Avalanche


ColoradoAvalanche.com is the official Web site of the Colorado Avalanche. Colorado Avalanche and ColoradoAvalanche.com are trademarks of Colorado Avalanche, LLC. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2024 Colorado Avalanche Hockey Team, Inc. and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved. NHL Stadium Series name and logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League.



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Colorado authorities shut down low-income housing developer

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Colorado authorities shut down low-income housing developer


The Colorado Division of Securities is pursuing legal action against a man whom it claims deceived investors and used the ownership of federally supported low-income housing projects to line his own pockets. 

Securities Commissioner Tung Chan announced its civil court filings against Michael Dale Graham, 68, on Nov. 12. 

Chan’s office filed civil fraud charges against Graham, and also asked for a temporary restraining order and freezing of Graham’s assets and his companies’. A Denver district court judge immediately granted both. Since then, two court dates to review the those orders have canceled; a third is scheduled for mid-January.

Graham operates Sebastian Partners LLC, Sebastiane Partners LLC, and Gravitas Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund I LLC (“GQOZF”), all of which were controlled by Graham during his “elaborate real estate investment scheme,” as described by the securities office in a case document.

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The filing states Graham collected more than $1.1 million from eight investors to purchase three adjacent homes in Aurora. The Denver-based Gravitas fund and its investors purportedly qualified for the federal Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) program with the homes. Qualified Opportunity Zones were created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by Congress in 2017. The zones encouraged growth in low-income communities by offering tax benefits to investors, namely reductions in capital gains taxes on developed properties.

A file photo of a suburban housing development in the Denver metro area. 

Paul Souders/WorldFoto & Getty Images


Graham formed Gravitas in early 2019 and purchased the three homes located in the 21000 block of E. 60th Avenue two years later. He quickly sold one of them with notifying investors, according to the case document. While managing the other two, Graham and Gravitas transferred the fund’s assets and never operated within QOZ guidelines to the benefit of its investors or the community, according to the state. 

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Gravitas also transferred the titles for the two properties to Graham privately. As their owner, Graham obtained undocumented loans from friends totaling almost $600,000. The two loans used the two properties as security. 

Gravitas investors were never informed of the two loans, according to the case document. Also, Gravitas never sent its investors year-end tax reports, the securities office alleges. 

Graham used the proceeds of the loans for personal use. No specific details were provided about those uses.

“Effectively, Graham used Gravitas as his personal piggy bank,” as stated in the case document, “claiming both funds and properties as his own. Graham never told investors about the risks associated with transferring title to himself. On September 1, 2023, he sent a letter to investors, stating that the properties ‘we own’ are doing well and generating growth due to record-breaking home appreciation. But Gravitas no longer owned the properties.

“Gravitas no longer had assets at all.” 

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Furthermore, the securities office said Graham failed to notify investors of recent court orders against him in Colorado and California. In total, Graham was ordered to pay more than $1 million in damages related to previous real estate projects.

Graham’s most recent residence is in Reno, Nev., according to an online search of public records. He evidently has previously lived in Santa Monica, Calif., and Greenwood Village.

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Colorado weather: Temperatures staying in the 60s Sunday

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Colorado weather: Temperatures staying in the 60s Sunday


Colorado weather: Temperatures staying in the 60s Sunday – CBS Colorado

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Watch meteorologist Callie Zanandrie’s forecast.

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