Colorado county clerk stripped of her duties for upcoming November election, Judge rules

An election official in Mesa County, Colo., will no longer be allowed to oversee the state's upcoming November election, a district court judge has ruled.

According to the Colorado Sun, Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters' ruling, handed down by Mesa County District Court Judge Valerie J. Robison, follows a recent lawsuit filed by Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold. In the suit, Griswold insisted that Peters should not be involved in the upcoming election due to the investigation under way at her own office.

In a 22-page order, Robison offered an observation of Peters' office as she insisted it "met the burden of showing that Peters and (Deputy Clerk Belinda) Knisley have committed a breach and neglect of duty and other wrongful acts."

The judge also claimed that Peters and Knisley appear to be "unable or unwilling to appropriately perform the duties of Mesa County Designated Election Official."

As a result of the ruling, former Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams (R) will serve as the alternate election official for the Mesa County election on November 2.

Peters has been under fire since May. At that time, the Republican election official "allegedly allowed an unauthorized person to attend a sensitive Dominion Voting Systems software update in May," The Sun reported. Photos of election software passwords were also taken and posted online. Peters also found herself at the center of another controversy when an election system hard drive that was in her possession also ended up being shared online.

On Wednesday, October 13, Griswold released a statement sharing her reaction to the outcome of the case.

"Clerk Peters seriously compromised the security of Mesa County's voting system," Griswold's statement said. "The court's decision today bars Peters from further threatening the integrity of Mesa's elections and ensures Mesa County residents have the secure and accessible election they deserve."