DOJ issues sweeping request for voter rolls in nine states, including Colorado
Why it matters: Alarm bells are ringing for election officials who fear the information could be misused to cast doubt on the integrity of U.S. elections.
Driving the news: The DOJ has asked for copies of voter rolls from at least nine states, the Washington Post scooped.
Meanwhile, a political consultant named Jeff Small — claiming to act on behalf of the White House — has contacted "more than half a dozen" Republican county clerks in Colorado, per the Post, asking if the federal government or a third party could physically inspect their election equipment.
Small is the former chief of staff to Colorado U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Windsor).
What they're saying: All clerks who Small contacted reportedly rejected his request. "To me, it felt like they were wanting to intervene before 2026," Fremont County Republican clerk Justin Grantham told the Post.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold told the Denver Post the data request was unusually extensive and unique to Colorado — noting that, to her knowledge, no other Republican clerks in any other blue states had been contacted for similar, sweeping access.
She warned that unauthorized access to voting machines is illegal and can lead to felony charges.
The other side: In a statement to the Denver Post on Wednesday, Small said he was simply connecting federal officials with clerks at the request of people involved in a presidential executive order on election security.
He said he wasn't paid and called the outreach voluntary — motivated by what he called Griswold's "security debacles."
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