Secretary of State Jena Griswold tapped former Secretary of State Wayne Williams and former Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Sheila Reiner to assist in the June 28 primary in Mesa County.

She also named Christi Coburn as a supervisor in Elbert County, tasking her to ensure a secure, accurate, and timely conduct of the upcoming election.

Coburn, a professional election administrator, will monitor decisions made and actions taken by Elbert County’s clerk and recorder and staff related to the administration of the 2022 primary election, according to Griswold’s office.

In a statement, Griswold’s office said “the decision to appoint a supervisor follows a 2021 election security protocol breach in Elbert County where Clerk Dallas Schroeder violated Colorado Elections Rules in the unauthorized imaging of the county’s voting system hard drives.”

Last month, an Elbert County district court judge ordered Schroeder to turn over election computer hard drives he had copied to the Secretary of State. Schroeder had made those copies with the assistance of two attorneys who were not employees of the county clerk and recorder’s office.

Schroeder gave those copies to the Secretary of State’s office on May 5.

“Every eligible Coloradan – Republican, Democrat, and Unaffiliated alike – has the right to cast a ballot in accessible and secure elections. That’s why I am taking action to appoint a supervisor in Elbert County to ensure voters have the election they deserve,” Griswold said.

Williams, now a Colorado Springs City Council member and Reiner, Mesa County’s treasurer, both were appointed last year to oversee the November 2021 general election.

“I am appointing Treasurer Reiner and former Secretary of State Williams to assist and advise Mesa County Designated Election Official Brandi Bantz as needed. Reiner, Williams, and Bantz did a tremendous job working together during Mesa County’s 2021 election, and I am confident Mesa County voters will have great elections this year too,” Griswold said in a statement. 

Williams and Reiner will serve as advisors to Mesa County Designated Election Official Brandi Bantz for the June 28 primary election.

Last month, a Mesa County Court Judge removed Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters as the designated election official for Mesa County, barring her from overseeing the 2022 Primary and General Elections. The court then appointed Bantz, at Griswold’s request, to serve as the designated election official.

Peters, now a candidate for Secretary of State, did not respond to a request for comment. She has been indicted by a Mesa County grand jury on 10 counts of alleged election equipment tampering and official misconduct. Peters is also facing three ethics complaints with the state ethics commission and two campaign finance complaints, now being handled by the Attorney General’s office. She denies all charges. 

Peters faces two opponents in the June 28 Republican primary: former Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Pam Anderson and Francis “Mike” O’Donnell of Kirk, Yuma County, a small businessman and first-time political candidate.