Colorado Election Officials Resorting to Bulletproof Vests Amid Fears of Midterm Violence

Election officials in some Colorado counties have begun wearing bulletproof vests, undergoing active-shooter training, and speaking to the public from behind bulletproof glass in the run-up to the midterm vote. Individuals and some election offices have been taking the measures amid fears of violence triggered by supporters of the “Stop the Steal” movement who have focused on Colorado as central to wider false claims that the 2020 election was fraudulently won by Joe Biden. A key figure for election-deniers is Tina Peters, the Mesa County county clerk who has been indicted by a grand jury on 11 counts of election-tampering and misconduct and has appeared at rallies with Trump attorney John Eastman, who attempted to overturn Biden’s 2020 election victory, and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. County Clerk Josh Zygielbaum told ABC “the potential for violence that we face is very real.” Another, Lori Mitchell, said she had a replica gun pointed at her in what she called “one of the most frightening days of my life.”