Election officials in a Republican-controlled Colorado county have launched an investigation after discovering that at least 12 mail-in ballots were stolen and fraudulently cast.
Mesa County election officials flagged the voter fraud on Tuesday after conducting signature verification. One of the ballots was also flagged because the voter tracked their ballot and saw that it had already been cast despite them never receiving the ballot.
In a statement about the voter fraud, Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Bobbie Gross (R) confirmed that she was “fully committed to ensuring the integrity and security of our elections” — adding that her office is “currently investigating [the] attempted election fraud.”
At least three of the fraudulently cast mail-in ballots were counted as legitimate and are not eligible to be voided, though the voters are reportedly able to cast an additional ballot. Despite these ballots being flagged by the signature verification process, they were approved by an election judge — who has since been “reassigned,” Colorado Public Radio reported.
Mesa County Colorado has uncovered voter fraud. Ballots were stolen and sent in for voters who were notified by the county. pic.twitter.com/m5mGyQJudm
— Insurrection Barbie (@DefiyantlyFree) October 25, 2024
Colorado’s radical leftist Secretary of State Jena Griswold declared the fact that these fraudulent mail-in ballots were counted as “unfortunate,” but claimed that the “system did work” because the ballots were eventually identified as fraudulent.
Mesa County, Colorado, the far-left’s favorite talking point: “Voter fraud doesn’t exist.”
But over a dozen mailed ballots were intercepted and cast fraudulently before the actual voters even had a chance to receive them.
This alarming situation has sparked a full-blown… pic.twitter.com/j2Yt2uBk34
— Denise (@Likeshesays) October 25, 2024
A motive for the voter fraud has not been revealed, nor have the election officials identified which political party the ballots were cast for.
In a Thursday press release, Griswold announced an investigation into the incident, but Gross argued that this state-level investigation could compromise the county’s own criminal investigation.
Gross stated: “Our priority is to handle this investigation with the utmost care and diligence, and I believe that prematurely releasing details could compromise our ability to hold those responsible accountable. While we understand the Secretary of State’s desire to make public statements, this is our community and our investigation.”
The Mesa County Clerk went on to confirm that the county would be sharing further information pertaining to the investigation when “it is responsible to do so.”
“It is critical that we follow proper procedures to ensure a thorough and effective investigation without tipping off those involved,” Gross added. “The people of Mesa County deserve transparency and accountability, but it must be done in a manner that protects the integrity of the investigation.”
“We ask for patience as we proceed with caution to ensure a just and fair outcome for our community,” she continued. “I am committed to transparency and will provide updates as the situation evolves.”
Mesa County is a deep red area of Colorado that overwhelmingly voted for former President Donald Trump by a margin of nearly 30 points in 2020.
