ECT- Elbert County Politics

06/23/2026

CHANGE Begins not at the top but at the bottom ...

Colorado citizen-led activism racks up wins over city hall

Mike Krause June 22, 2026

In a recent episode of Independence Institute’s public affairs tv show, Devil’s Advocate, host Jon Caldara sits down with Brandon Wark, creator of Free State Colorado, to look a the the rise of citizen activism, and how ordinary Coloradans can influence local government. The two dive deep into the idea idea that meaningful political change often begins not under Colorado’s gold dome, but at city councils, school boards, and local ballot boxes.

Wark shares his experience helping lead Greeley Demands Better, a grassroots campaign that challenged a proposed billion-dollar city-owned hotel, water park, and sports stadium development. Wark and other residents questioned the financial risk to taxpayers and what they viewed as a lack of transparency. After gathering thousands of signatures and overcoming legal and procedural challenges, the group successfully forced the issue onto the ballot, where voters put a halt to the project.

Caldara and Wark examine other recent citizen-led efforts in places like Lakewood, where residents successfully pushed back against city zoning decisions.

Wark lays out the process creating platforms focused on state and local issues, noting social media and leveraging technology allows individuals to organize and influence politics, bypassing parties and other traditional political institutions.

You can see the entire episode on You Tube, or watch it below.

Ep. 184 - Brandon Wark - Devil's Advocate

06/23/2026

ELBERT COUNTY- Elbert County Republicans provide recent District 2 Commissioner candidate questions/answers
'2026 Primary Election - Commissioner, District 2: Candidate Comparison | The candidates' answers to the Elbert County Republicans questionnaire, side by side.
Both candidates received the same eight questions. Their answers below are printed exactly as submitted, word for word, with no edits. Candidates are listed alphabetically by last name.

1. The platform
2. Time commitment
3. The Strategic Pause
4. Water and density
5. The Comprehensive Plan
6. Solar and data centers
7. Paying for the county8. More or less government'

Link here-

To inform, inspire and grow the Republican Party within Elbert County. To enable all registered Republicans to assist in our mission of nurturing and electing strong Republican candidates.

06/23/2026

DavidforAG.com

06/23/2026

“Allen said the motor vehicle theft team, made up of a prosecutor and an investigator, helped decrease motor vehicle theft cases by 50% from 2024 to 2025. He would look to set up such a team at the attorney general’s office and also allocate more sources to fentanyl and drug trafficking enforcement, floating the idea of using statewide grand juries that can transcend jurisdictional boundaries to prosecute offenders.” - Nathan Deal, The Daily Sentinel

Source: https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/el-paso-county-da-ag-candidate-michael-allen-running-to-restore-common-sense/article_a514f2fd-597a-4954-88ce-52005415ee4f.html

06/23/2026

With just weeks before Colorado’s June primary, Republican gubernatorial candidate state Rep. Scott Bottoms is spending nearly all his time on the road — literally crisscrossing the Western Slope and eastern plains — in a final push to connect with voters who, he argued, have been ignored for too long.
https://tinyurl.com/yuz9c972

06/23/2026

With less than two weeks left before ballots are due in Colorado’s primary election, election officials have logged in ballots from just under 6% of the state’s 4 million active, registered voters, the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said Thursday.
https://tinyurl.com/yxmasabh

06/22/2026

ELBERT COUNTY- An eye opening view of political segments and rhetoric ...

'Political Advocacy, Tribalism, and Factual Discourse: Why the Growing Divide?

By Staff Reporter

In an era of increasing political polarization, experts are examining the widening gap between political advocacy, tribal loyalty, and factual discourse. While all three play a role in democratic societies, their competing objectives are contributing to a more divided public sphere.

Political advocacy, by definition, seeks to persuade citizens and policymakers toward specific actions or policies. Advocates often rely on facts and evidence to support their positions, but critics argue that information is frequently selected and framed to reinforce predetermined conclusions.

Tribalism, however, operates on a different level. Rather than focusing on policy outcomes, tribal politics centers on group identity. Political affiliations increasingly function as social identities, leading individuals to view disagreements not merely as differences of opinion, but as challenges to their community and values.

"People are often more motivated to defend their group than to evaluate evidence objectively," notes research from political psychologists studying partisan behavior. This tendency can result in individuals accepting information from their own side while rejecting similar evidence from opposing viewpoints.

Factual discourse, in contrast, is intended to prioritize accuracy and truth-seeking above ideological commitments. It relies on evidence, logical reasoning, and a willingness to revise conclusions when new information emerges. However, maintaining factual discourse becomes increasingly difficult when political debates are shaped by emotional investment and group loyalty.

Several factors are believed to be driving the divide. Cognitive biases such as confirmation bias and motivated reasoning encourage people to seek information that supports existing beliefs. Social media platforms and modern news ecosystems can amplify these tendencies by rewarding emotionally charged content and reinforcing ideological echo chambers.

Additionally, the complexity of modern policy issues often leaves room for competing interpretations of the same facts. While data may establish what is happening, citizens and leaders frequently disagree on what should be done about it, reflecting differences in values rather than disputes over evidence alone.

Despite these challenges, analysts argue that advocacy and factual discourse do not have to be mutually exclusive. Effective democratic engagement can occur when individuals distinguish between factual claims and value judgments, openly acknowledging both the evidence and the principles guiding their positions.

Observers warn that when tribal identity becomes the primary lens through which information is interpreted, political discussions risk becoming contests of loyalty rather than examinations of truth. In such environments, trust declines, compromise becomes more difficult, and public discourse grows increasingly fragmented.

As societies continue to navigate contentious political issues, the balance between advocacy, identity, and factual inquiry remains a central challenge for democratic institutions and informed citizenship.'

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06/21/2026

A recent participant to this page appears disgruntled and has chosen to leave, laura jane, however in a manner in which she was complaining about, odd, here is the comment left on her 'departure' post @ Laura Jane
"As the admin of ECT - Elbert County Politics- Public those who participate know that it is a public page where all are welcome to share their thoughts and opinions- correct, comment and disagree on posts and comments ... Provide facts and refute claims and otherwise engage in a respectful political discourse with very limited guidelines, however, some Laura Jane, appear to not understand this and instead as claimed against 'Crissy Howell' engages in the same rhetoric and baseless claims she purports to abhor, knida of odd ... so those that may read this tripe post are encouraged to think for yourself and engage with others on and of the ECT pages, and welcome ..."

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06/18/2026

CO POLITICS and 'Dark Money' control ...
From The COSUN-
' Nearly $2M of dark money has flooded into Democratic statehouse primaries in Colorado
The dollars are aimed at helping more moderate candidates beat their more liberal opponents, including a handful of incumbents. It’s paying for ads and mailers in districts across the Denver area and one in the high country.

Jesse Paul 4:05 AM MDT on Jun 18, 2026'

"About $2 million in untraceable money has flowed into a handful of Democratic statehouse primaries in recent weeks to help more moderate candidates beat their more liberal opponents, including several incumbents.

The funds come from three nonprofits that don’t have to report their donors and are being routed through a convoluted web of eight state-level super PACs, some of which have names that appear aimed at deceiving people into thinking they are grassroots organizations. The dark money is paying for ads and mailers in districts across the Denver area and one in the high country, according to campaign finance reports filed for fundraising and spending through June 10.

The spending underscores just how important Democratic statehouse primaries have become in Colorado. They’re functioning as the new battlefield for control of the state Capitol, which has been under one-party rule for approaching a decade and is unlikely to fall into Republicans’ hands anytime soon.

“There’s always been money in the primaries,” said former Senate President Steve Fenberg, a Boulder Democrat, “but it wasn’t at this level.”

The old Democratic primary spending battles, Fenberg said, used to play out between clear-cut groups: trial lawyers vs. medical malpractice insurers. Charter schools vs. teachers unions.

Not anymore." ...

ELECTION 2026 VOTER GUIDE, LATEST NEWS AND MORE HERE-

Latest news, Colorado voter guide and race-by-race breakdowns on where the candidates stand on the issues.

06/17/2026

Starting August 1, 2026, you must complete a fi****ms safety course before purchasing or transferring a Specified Semiautomat