The Colorado Times Recorder has been debunking conspiracies and disinformation since our launch in 2017, and this year was no different. Ever since the 2020 presidential election, conservative conspiracists have focused most of their energy on election denialism, so we’ve done the same.
Here’s a look at our top stories about election deniers and voting disinformation from 2024.
Most of our coverage focused on candidates who were themselves election deniers. Some, like Lauren Boebert and GOP primary candidates Ron Hanks and Dave Williams, celebrated their conspiracist theories openly, while others, like first-time statehouse hopeful Matt Burcham, tried to hide from his prior position.
We also investigated the groups and donors supporting election deniers. In “Funding the Fringe“ we examined the Colorado Chamber of Commerce endorsements, which featured several election deniers, including Rebecca Keltie, who ended up winning her race over incumbent Stephanie Vigil by just three votes.
Before and after the election, we also documented all the election deniers running for office and those who eventually won.
CTR also covered the groups and activists devoted to election denialism. As national and state enthusiasm for their conspiracies faded, Colorado conspiracists like Joe Oltmann and Shawn Smith, along with out-of-state money guy Mike Lindell, pivoted locally and tried to convince county clerks to stop using electronic voting machines, revert to hand counting or otherwise gum up the vote tabulation process. Our reporters covered calls for violence in Grand Junction, an all-day seminar at a Denver comedy club, and a series of church meetings organized by a Christian Nationalist megachurch, all designed to push the debunked claim that the 2020 election and every one since, has been manipulated by shadowy forces who oppose pro-Trump Republicans.
Regular readers also learned about court cases with consequences, an impeachment hearing that was pure political theater and even secret recordings.
And even well after the votes were counted and Colorado Republicans were celebrating their handful of victories, party leadership held a fundraiser with the same guys who continue to insist the election results still aren’t legitimate.
