Election officials and voting rights experts are sounding the alarm over misinformation, waning voting access and artificial intelligence and the threats they pose to the November election.

Speaking during a panel discussion at The State of Equity in America, a forum hosted by U.S. News, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said the No. 1 tool to protect democracy is a prepared citizenry – a lesson America has learned from its allies in Eastern Europe “who were subjected to Russian foreign disinformation before us.”

“I'm happy to report that Colorado is tied for No. 1 with the highest confidence in the nation in our elections. But with that said, we have been under an onslaught of misinformation – disinformation – from our foreign adversaries but also from domestic actors that has really intensified since 2020.”

She said her state has been at the forefront of combating propaganda, pointing out that she opened the first state-level counter-disinformation office. She said she also instituted public-awareness initiatives alerting Coloradans of the dangers of disinformation and informing them to go to a trusted source to verify reports and cracked down on the effects of false and dangerous political rhetoric.

With regard to its effects, Griswold said that states........

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