Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

Media Contact:

Jack Todd

Jack.Todd@ColoradoSOS.gov

China Scroggins

China.Scroggins@ColoradoSOS.gov

July 16, 2026

Statewide Bipartisan Post-Election Audit Complete

Denver, CO – The post-election Risk Limiting Audit (RLA) for the June 30, 2026 Primary Election was successfully completed on July 15. The 2026 audit has confirmed that Coloradans’ ballots were counted accurately and that voting equipment worked as it should have.

“Colorado’s bipartisan risk-limiting audit is complete and has confirmed that the 2026 Primary Election results were counted accurately,” said Secretary Griswold. “Year after year, the RLA has shown that Colorado’s election model is accurate and secure.”

After every statewide election, the Department of State works with County Clerks to conduct the audit. The Risk Limiting Audit establishes a statistical level of certainty that ballots were counted according to voters’ intent and tabulating equipment worked correctly.

The Risk Limiting Audit has been conducted in every Colorado election since the 2017 Coordinated Election. The audit has never found a discrepancy that was a result of the voting system not working as intended.

The steps to certifying the 2026 Primary Election are:

• After Election Day, County Clerks continued processing and counting ballots until July 10.
• On July 13, the Department of State conducted the public meeting to establish the random seed number for the post-election audit – which was entered into a pseudo-random number generator to determine the ballots audited – to begin the audit.
• Colorado counties completed the statewide post-election audit on July 15.
• Each county canvass board will convene to approve the final tally of ballots cast and tabulated by July 22, and must upload those results to the Election Night Reporting system no later than July 23.
• Interested parties may request and file for a recount at their own expense through July 22. There are no races that require a mandatory recount in the June 30, 2026 Primary Election.

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The post Statewide Bipartisan Post-Election Audit Complete appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

Media Contact:

Jack Todd

Jack.Todd@ColoradoSOS.gov

China Scroggins

China.Scroggins@ColoradoSOS.gov

July 2, 2026

Public Hearings Scheduled for Town Abandonment Applications for Towns of Creede, Hartman

Denver, CO – The Colorado Department of State has received two Applications for Town Abandonment for the incorporated Town of Creede, Colorado, and the incorporated Town of Hartman, Colorado.

One of two criteria that must be met for a town to be abandoned according to 31-3-201 C.R.S. A town must either:

1. have failed to hold any regular or special election to elect officers and that no town government has been maintained for at least 5 years prior to the application, or
2. have no board of trustees or town clerk, be unable to hold an election, and own or operate water infrastructure critical for the treatment or delivery of water to residents.

Town of Creede

On May 11, 2026, the Mineral County Attorney submitted an application to the Secretary of State’s Office for a determination stating that the Town of Creede, also known as the “Townsite of Creede” or “North Creede,” has been abandoned.

According to the application submitted, there are two towns incorporated in Colorado that are legally referred to as the “Town of Creede” that exist immediately adjacent to each other. The application clarifies that they are commonly referred to as “North Creede” and the “City of Creede,” and states that only one of these towns, the “City of Creede,” is still functioning. “Townsite of Creede” or “North Creede” has not functioned for decades, according to the application. The “Townsite of Creede” / “North Creede” is the subject of the abandonment petition, not the “City of Creede.”

If the Secretary of State’s Office determines that abandonment is appropriate, all existing streets, avenues, and alleys previously located within the abandoned town, which are not owned by a third party, shall be vested in the board of county commissioners of Mineral County.

A public hearing to determine the abandonment status of “North Creede” will take place on Monday, July 13 at 1 p.m. At the request of the applicant, this hearing will be held only via Zoom.

Anyone may register to attend the hearing at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wTig_aJOQh-fAcf2DwZQKg#/registration.

Town of Hartman

On June 17, 2026, a resident and registered elector of the Town of Hartman submitted an application to the Secretary of State’s Office for a determination stating that the Town of Hartman has been abandoned.

According to the application submitted by a town resident, the Town of Hartman no longer has a Board of Trustees or Town Clerk and is unable to hold a town election. The application states that the Town of Hartman owns and operates water infrastructure needed to treat and deliver water to residents, and that the town does not currently have access to potable water.

If the Secretary of State’s Office determines that abandonment is appropriate, all existing streets, avenues, and alleys previously located within the abandoned town, which are not owned by a third party, and all properties owned by the town shall be vested in the board of county commissioners of Prowers County. Additionally, if the town is determined to be abandoned, all real and personal property comprising the water system would be transferred from the Town of Hartman to Prowers County, which may then select an entity to maintain water infrastructure, as outlined in Colorado law.

A public hearing to determine the abandonment status of the Town of Hartman will take place on Monday, July 13 at 2 p.m. This hearing will be held via Zoom and in person at the Secretary of State’s Office in the Red Rocks Conference Room, located at 1700 Broadway, Suite 550, Denver, CO 80290.

Anyone may register to attend the hearing at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xTnT6W-4S7y4CuBvh6kvIQ#/registration#/registration.

After Hearings

Following the hearings for the Townsite of Creede and Town of Hartman, and if it is determined that the town is abandoned, a copy of this determination is filed with the County Clerk and Recorder. Once this filing is complete, the town will no longer exist.

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The post Public Hearings Scheduled for Town Abandonment Applications for Towns of Creede and Hartman appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

[ Local ]

• Colorado Department of State website accidentally lists passwords to voting machines, forcing election workers to scramble to ensure the safety of votes.
• Winter storm leads to a record number of people being turned away at Boulder’s largest homeless shelter, All Roads, amid county funding cuts.
• Ballot Question 2C, which will tie Boulder City Council’s pay to the median income in the area, and 2D, which allows council members to meet privately under certain conditions, pass in Boulder. 2E, which would have given the city council more control over boards and commissions, is defeated.
• Erie elects mayor Andrew Moore and passes a 5% excise tax on cannabis, but the town council would have to repeal a ban on dispensaries before any could be opened in Erie.
• The Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission unanimously votes to indefinitely pause the controversial Draco Oil and Gas Development Plan which would have allowed for horizontal drilling and fracturing of 26 wellbores, some of which would have extended underneath residential areas and schools.

[ National ]

• Donald J. Trump wins election in spite of extreme policies, making him the second person to ever be elected to two non-consecutive terms as President of the United States. He also becomes the first convicted felon and twice impeached former president to win election
• Trump nominates several strange and unqualified candidates for key positions including Matt Gaetz for attorney general, RFK Jr. as secretary of health and human services, Dr. Mehmet Oz as administrator of Medicaid and Medicare, and Elon Musk to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency. Gaetz withdraws from the nominating process due to an ongoing investigation by the House Ethics Committee.
• Democrats urge Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to step down so that Biden can name a younger successor before Trump takes office, but Sotomayor has no plans to retire.
• The US carries out air strikes in Yemen attacking The Houthis, a group allied with Hamas and Hezbollah against Israel.

[ International ]

• Israel steps up its attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon, launching an air strike against the village of Almat, which is well outside of Hezbollah strongholds.
• Violence erupts during a soccer match in the Netherlands between Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. and Dutch AFC Ajax team related to the Israeli government’s actions in the War in Gaza
• At least 26 people killed and over 60 wounded after separatists bomb a crowded railway station in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
• At least 30 people have died in post-election violence in Mozambique amidst accusations that the election was rigged to keep the ruling Frelimo party in power.
• A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hits Cuba as the country is recovering from Hurricane Rafael.

Quotes

“That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to make our country better than it ever has been. They said that many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason. And that reason was to save our country and to restore America to greatness. And now we are going to fulfill that mission together. We’re gonna fulfill that mission. The task before us will not be easy, but I will bring every ounce of energy, spirit, and fight that I have in my soul, to the job that you’ve entrusted to me.”
– Donald J. Trump in his terrifying victory speech

“Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable. A defeat does not mean we are defeated”
– Joe Biden addressing the nation following Harris’ loss to Trump

“Prosperity and abundance agenda. We have focused on saving people money through three income tax rate reductions (two at the ballot box and one through the leg: 4.63%>4.5%>4.4%>4.25%), cutting property taxes, free preschool and kindergarten for every child, eliminating sales tax on necessities like diapers and feminine hygiene products, and we are in the process of delivering on pro-housing supply solutions, investing in transit and transit-enhanced living opportunities… all while protecting and expanding personal freedom and respect for everyone.” 
– Colorado Governor Jared Polis on the secret to keeping Colorado blue while much of the nation went red

“We’re really apprehensive about what we’re going to do this winter” 
– Andy Schultheiss, chief development and communications officer at All Roads, discussing the organization’s fears about the high demand for homeless shelter services amid funding cuts

By the Numbers

10,901,567

The difference between votes that Democrats received in 2020 and 2024. While the Democrats’ number of votes decreased significantly between elections, Donald Trump received roughly the same number of votes in both elections

727

The estimated number of unhoused people in Boulder County according to the latest Point in Time count from the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative

3,002

The estimated number of people killed in Lebanon by Israel over the past 13 months

2

Thankfully, the number of terms a President is allowed to serve, even non-consecutively, according to the 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution

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