Colorado Democrats look to crack down on insider election threats

Colorado Democrats¹ look to crack down on insider election threats

　　Transcript²

　　Update on March 25: The controversial provision that would have barred those who oversee³ elections from knowingly or recklessly making false statements about the process has been dropped from the legislation.

　　Eight months after a Colorado clerk allegedly compromised her county's election machines while searching for proof of fraud in the 2020 election, Democratic lawmakers in the state want to make it illegal for those who run elections to do much of what she's accused of.

　　A new bill in Colorado would add more training requirements for election staff and officials, bar counties from copying voting machine hard drives without state permission, mandate⁴ full-time⁵ video monitoring of equipment and increase penalties for security breaches⁷.

　　The legislation would also ban anyone overseeing elections from knowingly or recklessly making false statements about the process.

　　The attempt to prevent insider threats and misinformation from further eroding⁸ public trust in elections has led to concerns about potential First Amendment⁹ violations¹⁰ and some to question the motives¹¹ behind the entire effort.

　　"I don't think it's too much to ask to say, 'If you're running our elections you can't lie about our elections,' " said Democratic state Senate President Steve Fenberg, who is the main sponsor of the bill.

　　While the measure had been in the works for a while, it was officially introduced earlier this month, just two days after Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters was charged with breaching¹² the security of her county's voting equipment.

　　In the words of the grand jury's indictment¹³, Peters and her deputy Belinda Knisley allegedly "devised and executed a deceptive¹⁴ scheme" to give an unauthorized person access to the county's voting machine hard drives and to sit in on a software update. Photos of passwords and copies of data were later leaked online by election conspiracy¹⁵ theorists.

　　Peters has called the charges "politically-motivated accusations¹⁶" by Democrats.

　　Clerks back increased training, security requirements

　　The sweeping¹⁷ legislation would require counties to store all voting equipment in a secure area only accessible by key card and under constant, year-round video surveillance. It also would ban anyone, even election office employees, from going into that area alone. Currently, cameras only have to be on for a set number of days around each election, and only on certain pieces of election equipment.

　　The proposal also aims to speed up the legal process when a potential security breach⁶ occurs. It would make it a felony to tamper¹⁸ with voting equipment or publish information like passwords, and would add whistleblower protections for employees who reveal misbehavior.

　　"It's important for Coloradans to hear ... that we won't stand for this kind of thing. Insider threats have no place in our elections," said Matt Crane, the head of the Colorado County Clerks Association and a former Republican county clerk.

　　Clerks from both parties overwhelmingly support the legislation, according to Crane. He noted¹⁹ it would expand training and certification requirements for election workers, clerks and certain employees within the secretary of state's office.

　　"I think what we saw in Mesa County was a low-information clerk, which made her susceptible²⁰ to grifters and bad actors," said Crane. Peters did not have experience in elections administration before being elected clerk in 2018.

　　But despite broad support in the election world, it passed its first legislative²¹ hearing last week on a party-line vote.

　　"Seeing a bill like this being run immediately, in response to what happened in Mesa County, is troubling," said Republican Rep. Matt Soper, who represents most of the county in the House. "Quite frankly²² [it] angers me because I don't think we ought to be writing legislation for just one particular element that has occurred out in society, knowing that the law that's currently on the books has been playing out."

　　Soper said he's open to voting for the bill, if it's amended²³ to address some of his concerns. But he also noted that it's hard for Republicans to embrace a proposal when Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold is championing it.

　　"She's made the office incredibly partisan²⁴, and it didn't have to be that way," he said. "It makes the politics around this very difficult to vote for, even if reading through the bill there's a lot of things that Republicans and Democrats could agree with here."

　　Griswold is running for reelection and her fundraising emails have routinely highlighted her investigation²⁵ of Peters, who also recently entered the race. She has also developed a national profile as a critic of Republican-led voting policies.

　　The Colorado GOP is already organizing against the legislation. At the same time the party leaders have asked Peters to suspend her campaign for secretary of state in the wake of the criminal charges.

　　Misinformation ban raises constitutional concerns

　　What's shaping up to be the most controversial element of the bill is a section that would ban those who oversee elections from knowingly or recklessly disseminating²⁶ misinformation or disinformation about elections.

　　Peters has long maintained she was well within her authority to investigate what she came to believe was voter fraud in the 2020 election — doubts which she said started with simply trying to answer questions many of her constituents²⁷ had.

　　"They just kept bringing it to me and bringing it to me," Peters told CPR last November. "I get emails and people wanting to meet with me. I tried to defend that we were, we had pure and fair elections."

　　Peters said she could no longer defend the system. "I can't unsee what I've seen and it's disturbing to me."

　　Peters has also participated in events and broadcasts hosted by prominent purveyors of false claims about the 2020 election, including Steve Bannon and Mike Lindell.

　　But for one prominent First Amendment attorney, this aspect of the bill is problematic, no matter what the motives of its backers are.

　　Steve Zansberg heads the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition²⁸. He also provides legal representation to members of the Colorado Broadcasters Association, including CPR. He said he wonders who would get to decide whether a statement was knowingly or recklessly false.

　　"It raises serious constitutional questions because of the ambiguity²⁹ in how it could be enforced," said Zansberg. He added that it's "incredibly disconcerting" for the state to potentially use the things someone says as a condition and qualification for overseeing elections.

　　He said if lawmakers do pass this provision, it should require a high standard of evidence and a clear process for determining whether someone actually broke the law.

　　For supporters, though, the idea is just common sense. Sen. Fenberg told a Senate committee that he is fully³⁰ aware that false information about election fraud will continue to spread on social media, talk radio and other platforms.

　　He said his bill isn't trying to curtail³¹ that kind of speech.

　　"That's why, in a lot of ways, our democracy is so great and frustrating³² and messy. But for people who administer the elections, there should be some basic standards," he said.

　　As effects of 2020 linger, Democrats move to pass new laws

　　This measure is part of a package of voting bills Democrats have introduced this session that they say are needed to respond to baseless claims around the 2020 election. Those include legislation to ban the open carry of firearms within 100 feet of voting locations, and a bill that would increase penalties for threatening and harassing³³ election workers.

　　But Secretary Griswold said Colorado is the first state she knows of to propose this action on insider threats. She said she recently briefed other secretaries of state on the bill and hopes states across the country follow Colorado's lead.

　　"I do believe that we'll see further insider attacks, as a way to destabilize American elections and push disinformation. So every state should be getting ready for this evolving threat, " she said.

　　County clerks say public scrutiny³⁴, and in some cases outright³⁵ distrust, has increased their workload³⁶ and the urgency they feel to make sure the public has a better understanding of how elections work.

　　Fremont County Clerk Justin Grantham, a Republican, said fighting disinformation in his conservative part of the state is more important than ever right now.

　　"It's like, come to the trusted source, come and talk to the person who is actually doing the job and not someone who wants to do the research on the internet," said Grantham. "And if you're not part of the process, you tend not to see the checks and balances you have in place in elections."

1 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

4 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

5 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

6 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

7 breaches   

破坏( breach的名词复数 )； 破裂； 缺口； 违背

参考例句：

• He imposed heavy penalties for breaches of oath or pledges. 他对违反誓言和保证的行为给予严厉的惩罚。
• This renders all breaches of morality before marriage very uncommon. 这样一来，婚前败坏道德的事就少见了。

8 eroding   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的现在分词 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The coast is slowly eroding. 海岸正慢慢地被侵蚀。
• Another new development is eroding the age-old stereotype of the male warrior. 另一个新现象是，久已形成的男人皆武士的形象正逐渐消失。

9 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

10 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

11 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

12 breaching   

攻破( breach的过去式 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。
• Third, an agency can abuse its discretion by breaching certain principles of judge-made law. 第三，行政机关会因违反某些法官制定的法律原则而构成滥用自由裁量权。

13 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

14 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

15 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

16 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

17 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

18 tamper   

v.干预，玩弄，贿赂，窜改，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• Do not tamper with other's business.不要干预别人的事。
• They had strict orders not to tamper with the customs of the minorities.他们得到命令严禁干涉少数民族的风俗习惯。

19 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

20 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

21 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

22 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

23 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

24 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

25 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

26 disseminating   

散布，传播( disseminate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Our comrades in propaganda work have the task of disseminating Marxism. 我们作宣传工作的同志有一个宣传马克思主义的任务。
• Disseminating indecent photographs on the internet a distasteful act. 在因特网上发布不雅照片是卑劣的行径。

27 constituents   

n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素

参考例句：

• She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
• Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

29 ambiguity   

n.模棱两可；意义不明确

参考例句：

• The telegram was misunderstood because of its ambiguity.由于电文意义不明确而造成了误解。
• Her answer was above all ambiguity.她的回答毫不含糊。

30 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

31 curtail   

vt.截短，缩短；削减

参考例句：

• The government hopes to curtail public spending.政府希望缩减公共事业开支。
• The minister had to curtail his visit.部长不得不缩短访问日期。

32 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

33 harassing   

v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人）

参考例句：

• The court ordered him to stop harassing his ex-wife. 法庭命令他不得再骚扰前妻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was too close to be merely harassing fire. 打得这么近，不能完全是扰乱射击。 来自辞典例句

34 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

35 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

36 workload   

n.作业量，工作量

参考例句：

• An assistant one day a week would ease my workload.每周有一天配一个助手就会减轻我的工作负担。
• He's always grousing about the workload.他总是抱怨工作量大。