- Jena Griswold, Colorado's secretary of state, sounded a warning about upcoming elections.
- She told The Washington Post there was a bid to place Trump loyalists in roles overseeing elections.
- Trump sought to pressure election officials to subvert Joe Biden's victory.
Trump loyalists are "chipping away" at safe and secure elections so they can claim victory in the event of close results in the 2022 midterms or the 2024 presidential election, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold told The Washington Post this week.
Republican lawmakers and activists in some states have in recent months placed people loyal to former President Donald Trump in key positions overseeing elections:
- In October, The Detroit News reported that Republican lawmakers in Michigan were seeking to replace officials on canvassing boards with loyalists, some of whom supported Trump's bogus election-fraud claims. Among the responsibilities of canvassing boards is certifying election results.
- The Atlantic reported in November that Trump supporters had been elected judge of elections and inspector of elections in Pennsylvania. Those officials monitor elections and ensure ballots are properly tabulated.
- Colorado officials told The Post there was a campaign on conservative social-media channels to encourage Trump supporters to apply for vacancies in election offices.
- State and local election officials also told The Post that Trump supporters were seeking to place loyalists in voluntary local-election positions, such as poll watchers, and in elected positions, like county clerks and state attorneys general.
Griswold told The Post that the attempt to place Trump allies in roles overseeing elections was part of a bid to subvert election results that don't go Republicans' way.
"The attacks right now are no longer about 2020," Griswold said. "They're about 2022 and 2024. It's about chipping away at confidence and chipping away at the reality of safe and secure elections. And the next time there's a close election, it will be easier to achieve their goals. That's what this is all about."
Trump has repeatedly refused to accept his defeat in last year's presidential election. For months he attempted to pressure election officials in states such as Georgia to overturn Joe Biden's victory.
In recent public appearances and rallies — as he stirs rumors of a 2024 presidential bid — he has repeated his baseless claim that the election was stolen from him.
There is no evidence to substantiate Trump's claims, but many of his supporters have nonetheless embraced them.