Securing election integrityThe Colorado Springs

This letter to the editor by Nancy Murray was published in The Colorado Springs Gazette on 20 July 2025.

I want to express my gratitude to Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk, for her diligent efforts in adhering to the law by creating backup copies of election data and submitting the backups for evaluation by qualified experts. The analysis of her backups led to the creation of three reports, which highlighted numerous issues with Colorado’s elections (see Reports at TinaPeters.us). Her dedication caught the attention of President Donald Trump and contributed to the issuance of a significant executive order.

On March 25, Trump signed an executive order titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.” It’s crucial to recognize that this order reinforces existing laws, including requirements for proof of citizenship, maintenance of voter rolls, certification of equipment, and the security of voting systems. This order sets the stage for future actions to strengthen election integrity.
I believe everyone can agree that only citizens should have the right to vote. With this new order, states will be mandated to verify citizenship for each new registration. Colorado’s practice of using “self-attestation” by the voter no longer will be permissible.

States are also required to clean their voter rolls by removing noncitizens. DOGE will assist states by comparing state voter rolls with immigration databases. Other federal databases will be available to states to verify citizenship.

A critical aspect of the executive order is the directive for the Election Assistance Commission to amend the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines 2.0 and other guidelines to establish standards for voting systems that protect election integrity. This amendment must be completed within 180 days, leading to the review and, if necessary, recertification of voting systems under the new standards, while rescinding previous certifications based on outdated standards. The current standards, last updated in 2005 — before the iPhone was introduced — have not been revised since election equipment was classified as critical infrastructure in 2017.

Given the noncompliance with “critical infrastructure” standards, it is likely that the Election Assistance Commission will decertify current election systems and equipment. This could lead to significant changes to our elections.

It’s important to note that Colorado has joined other states in challenging the executive order. However, if the order merely enforces existing laws, it suggests that these states are not complying with current legal standards—a situation that warrants serious reflection.

Thank you, Tina Peters, for your commitment to election integrity, and thank you, President Trump, for taking action to uphold the sanctity of our elections.