{"id":3481,"date":"2026-07-10T13:34:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T13:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3481"},"modified":"2026-07-10T13:34:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T13:34:40","slug":"dojs-immigrant-voting-letter-to-colorado-election-officials-labeled-as-intimidation-tactic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3481","title":{"rendered":"DOJ\u2019s immigrant voting letter to Colorado election officials labeled as intimidation tactic"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This story was first published at Colorado Newsline. <\/em><\/p>\n

DENVER<\/strong> | Colorado\u2019s secretary of state and voter advocates say they stand by Colorado\u2019s election system and workers following the Trump administration\u2019s latest attempt to target election officials.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter earlier this week that threatens criminal prosecution of election officials who allow noncitizen voting. The department\u00a0confirmed\u00a0to Democracy Docket that it sent similar letters to all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cThis is another thinly-veiled attempt by the Department of Justice to intimidate election officials and coerce compliance with their efforts to unlawfully inject the federal government into States\u2019 constitutional duty to oversee elections,\u201d Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement. \u201cWe stand ready to defend the rights of every voter and protect our elections.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ: Arapahoe County election officials explain why elections are secure<\/strong><\/p>\n

The letters are part of the administration\u2019s \u201cdesperate attempt\u201d to get states to hand over private voter data, Aly Belknap, executive director of Colorado Common Cause, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically they\u2019re trying to intimidate our election officials,\u201d Belknap said. \u201cAt the end of the day, we know that our voter rolls are kept accurate and only people who are eligible to vote are on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christo Luna, deputy state director at Mi Familia Vota in Colorado, a nonprofit that advocates for Latino voters, said it\u2019s already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, and secure state and local systems exist to keep them from voting. The threats in the letter represent another attempt by President Donald Trump and his allies to purge voters and deny eligible citizens their right to vote, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s part of a broader effort to intimidate minority voters and suppress our voices, along with gerrymandering, the SAVE America Act, and an executive order that a court already voided that would have the federal government interfere with mail ballots,\u201d Luna said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The SAVE America Act would implement a nationwide requirement that voters show documents proving their citizenship. In March, Trump signed an executive order attempting to restrict voting by mail, which a federal judge\u00a0blocked.<\/p>\n

Claims of widespread noncitizen voting in U.S. elections have been\u00a0repeatedly\u00a0debunked. While the Trump administration wants people to believe that noncitizen voting has changed election results, their efforts lead to elections that are skewed by eligible voters being unable to participate, Belknap said.<\/p>\n

Safeguards already in place<\/h2>\n

Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department\u2019s civil rights division, sent the letters to Griswold and other election officials around the country. They highlight federal election law that requires state and local officials to maintain voter records to ensure only eligible U.S. citizens vote in federal elections. The letter sent to Griswold\u2019s office asks it to tell the division how Colorado plans to ensure compliance. Anyone who knowingly allows noncitizen voting could be charged criminally, the letter says.<\/p>\n

The Colorado County Clerks Association\u00a0outlines\u00a0the safeguards already in place that ensure only eligible voters participate in elections. Some records are updated daily: That includes voter registrations made automatically when an eligible voter receives or updates their driver\u2019s license or identification card, voter records for people serving felony sentences in state prison, and possible duplicate records flagged by the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment provides monthly lists of deaths among registered Colorado voters. The Election Registration Information Center, known as ERIC, allows participating states to compare voter registrations and avoid duplicate records in multiple states.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Department of Justice announced plans this week to send election monitors to jurisdictions in six states with competitive elections. The department could similarly target Colorado, site of a competitive congressional race and to which Trump has also\u00a0shown\u00a0a \u201cvendetta and ideological opposition,\u201d Belknap said.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s ultimate goal is to seize control and cast doubt on future election results, Belknap said. But Trump\u2019s voter intimidation efforts have repeatedly been\u00a0defeated, and those losses will continue in Colorado, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mi Familia Vota works to educate voters, provide accurate up-to-date information, combat misinformation and help voters choose the voting method that works best for them, Luna said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are motivated to defend our rights and our vote,\u201d Luna said. \u201cOur Democracy is strongest when everyone who is eligible participates and votes, and that includes Latino families committed to making our voices heard at the ballot box.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Department of Justice is\u00a0suing\u00a0Griswold over her\u00a0refusal\u00a0to supply sensitive voter information to the Trump administration. The case is ongoing in U.S. District Court in Denver.<\/p>\n

Griswold, Gov.\u00a0Jared Polis\u00a0and Attorney General\u00a0\u00a0all submitted comments to the U.S. Postal Service opposing a\u00a0proposed rule\u00a0that says the agency won\u2019t deliver mail ballots in states that refuse to turn over lists of voters. Two courts\u00a0blocked\u00a0the Postal Service\u2019s rulemaking process, but it appealed the decision and asked the court to allow the rulemaking to continue throughout the appeal process.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Every active registered voter in Colorado receives a ballot in the mail.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read more Unclaimed airstrikes target Iran after US attacks, raising questions of who launched them<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read more Many US Jewish adults have experienced assault or harassment over the past year, AP-NORC poll finds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read more Who will replace Platner on the Maine ballot? These Democrats are raising their hands<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This story was first published at Colorado Newsline. DENVER | Colorado\u2019s secretary of state and voter advocates say they stand by Colorado\u2019s election system and workers following the Trump administration\u2019s latest attempt to target election officials. 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