Consultant, claiming White House backing, called Colorado clerks to gain access to voting machines

https://www.denverpost.com/2025/07/16/colorado-clerks-voting-machine-access-elections-donald-trump/
(paywall)

A consultant claiming to work for the White House called several Republican county clerks in Colorado last week, seeking “third-party” access to secure voting equipment, election officials told The Denver Post.

At least 10 Republican clerks were contacted by consultant Jeff Small, officials said Wednesday. Small, who has Colorado political connections, told the clerks that he was working on the project for the White House and the U.S. departments of Justice and Homeland Security, and he said he wanted the clerks to let an outside party access voting equipment to identify “gaps.”

He also requested access because President Donald Trump’s administration was frustrated with the slow rollout of an executive order issued earlier this year. Trump’s order sought greater federal control over elections, though a federal court last month blocked it.

All of the clerks contacted by Small rejected the request, election officials said. Unauthorized access to voting equipment is illegal under state law — and for some clerks, the request immediately prompted thoughts that it amounted to the type of conduct that sank former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who’s now serving a prison sentence.