Threats against election workers in Colorado prompted at least one county clerk to begin wearing a bulletproof vest, according to comments made during a Wednesday hearing of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. 

Committee Chair Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL, said that election workers are spending their own money to install elaborate home security systems, and others, “like one county clerk in Colorado, have begun to wear a bulletproof vest to work.”

Durbin did not specifically identify the clerk.

Matt Crane, the former Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder who is now executive director of the Colorado County Clerk’s Association, told the committee he has never seen anything like the “reckless claims” raised against the integrity of the 2020 elections.

“We are here today because of a lie,” said Crane, who identifies as a conservative Republican and was among nine individuals who testified in a hearing on protections for frontline election workers.

Crane said that, in his 22 years of elections work, “I have never seen these reckless claims happen on this scale and in the well-funded and coordinated way it is happening today.”

“In our current reality, it seems the facts no longer matter regardless of how much accurate information is presented. And now that political bad actors have seen the financial and political value of spreading mis- and disinformation, the dissemination and amplification of that fraudulent information is only growing,” he said.

He added that unprecedented attack on election systems has resulted in radicalizing people, and claims that elections are not secure or accurate has led to harassment, doxing, and outright threats on the lives of election administrators.

Crane also spoke on the steps county clerks are taking to protect themselves and their staff.

In a recent survey of the 64 county clerks in Colorado, a quarter reported fortifying their offices, such as adding tinted bulletproof glass or more security around office access doors. More clerks would add those security enhancements if they had the funds to do so, Crane said.

The worst of the threats, he said, are falling on Republican clerks.

“Many, if not all of them, have seen an uptick in everything from concerning emails to actual physical threats,” he said. 

He reserved his harshest criticism for Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters, who is under indictment for allegedly tampering with election equipment last year. Peters, who called the allegations against her politically motivated, is also seeking a recount of her 88,000-vote loss to GOP candidate for Secretary of State and former Jeffco Clerk and Recorder Pam Anderson. That recount is required to be completed under state law by the end of today.

So far, El Paso County’s recount confirmed Peters’ primary loss in the race for Secretary of State.

Primary election results unchanged: Tina Peters gains 1 vote in El Paso County recount

Crane said Peters had been taken in by election “lies” and accused her of violating her oath of office by providing internal images of her voting system to an unknown number of outside entities. Her actions, Crane said, increased the threat to election systems and “dramatically decreased the integrity of our elections.”

Peters’ actions have also led to an increase in intimidation, harassment, and threats to other election officials who refused to violate the law and the public trust, he said.

Crane asked that Congress make available federal dollars easier for local election officials to access, including direct pass-throughs from the federal government to counties, which, in effect, would bypass state allocation processes. The current system is not transparent about where the funds are or how to apply for them, he said. 

Crane pointed to recent assessments by the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency on physical security of election facilities, and while those assessments help understand security risks, most clerks will never be able to implement the recommendations because they lack the resources to pay for them.

He also urged federal lawmakers to support election workers, suggesting they tour election facilities, talk to local election officials, and “avoid amplifying unproven and/or false rhetoric.”

“If we don’t make a commitment to stop fanning the flames of conspiracy for political gain, it will have implications that reach much farther than the next election cycle. And to be clear, this issue does not just belong to one political party. We have seen candidates from both major political parties refuse to accept defeat and harm our voting institutions,” Crane said.

He urged the committee to stand with the 8,000 election officials “who are telling the truth, honoring their oaths of office, and serving their citizens by running accessible, transparent, and secure elections.”

Crane said Coloradans believe in secure and transparent elections.

“However, when lies so pollute our public discourse, it makes it extremely difficult for election experts to seek necessary improvements,” he said.