It is not uncommon today to hear our fellow citizens make allegations of voter fraud and criticize mail-in balloting. As former elected officials of different political affiliations, we have many years of experience working within our election system, and we have seen our state and our local jurisdictions operate safe and secure elections for many years.

We urge our fellow Coloradans to reject claims that cast doubt about the integrity of our elections and encourage everyone to take the time to become educated about how our elections actually work.

Almost all Colorado counties have an elected clerk and recorder (Broomfield’s is appointed), who serves as the county’s chief election officer. Election officers and their staff receive extensive training in state election law and the related legal requirements that keep our elections safe, secure and free of illegal interference.

Election officials have sworn an oath to protect and uphold the Constitution, and election judges swear an oath to act in accordance with our election laws. Among their many responsibilities, election officials maintain voter rolls, the physical security of their buildings, the printing and mailing of ballots, the pick-up from off-site locations, signature verification and receipt of mail-in ballots, retaining and training poll watchers, ensuring documentation for the chain of custody of the ballots, ballot reconciliation and creating an audit trail, and a system for handling damaged or unreadable ballots.

Did you know that when you drop off your ballot in one of those secure metal boxes, those sites are monitored by video 24 hours a day? Ballots are not picked up and returned to the election office by one person — there must be at least two, and they must be of different political affiliations.

The people who work in our election offices are our neighbors. They are dedicated to maintaining the integrity of our elections without regard to anyone’s political preferences.

And yet these individuals have often been the subject of threats to themselves and their families, and unfair allegations claiming that their work is tainted and questioning their compliance with the law. As fellow citizens in a republic, it is important to understand the details about our elections and equally important to speak out when our systems and our election workers are unfairly criticized.

We encourage all interested Coloradans to contact your county’s elections office and sign up for a tour. Our election officials throughout the state are interested in showing you up close how elections are run and how our ballots are kept secure and free from fraud.

Some of us have taken these tours, and the experience is eye-opening. One comes away more confident in Colorado’s election integrity, and better able to help educate others who may express a different view. If you experience others criticizing our elections, ask them if they’ve taken the time to visit their local election office and learn more about what actually happens. We also encourage you to sign up as election judges. It’s another great way to see how the process works and contribute to being a good citizen.

Voting is a privilege and is arguably the most important responsibility we all have as citizens of Colorado. Colorado’s reputation for election integrity is exceptional, and we encourage our fellow Coloradans to join us in supporting the great work of our election officials.

John Brackney was an Arapahoe County commissioner from 1997 to 2003. Ken Fellman was the mayor of Arvada from 1999 to 2007 and a city councilmember from 1993 to 1999. John Suthers was the Colorado attorney general from 2005 to 2015 and the mayor of Colorado Springs from 2015-2023.