“Not A Decision I Made Lightly” – Colorado’s Largest County Withdraws From CCCA Membership
The CCCA is a Non-Governmental Organization that Generally Serves as the Authority on Colorado Elections
El Paso County Clerk & Recorder Steve Schleiker has quietly resigned as Vice President of the Colorado County Clerks Association (CCCA), and he has withdrawn El Paso County from active membership in the non-governmental organization.
Schleiker was candid about his decision in an email with a Colorado voter who reached out after noticing his name had been removed from the CCCA leadership list.
“After careful consideration, I made the decision several weeks ago to resign as Vice President of the Colorado County Clerks Association and to withdraw El Paso County from active membership. This was not a decision I made lightly,” the Schleiker said in the email. The clerk said he believes “it is important to be candid when asked directly.”
His stated reasons for leaving are explosive.
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“At the core, my decision was driven by concerns about independence, transparency, and the role of external influence within what is intended to be an independent association. As an elected officer of the CCCA, I was not permitted to participate in certain executive-level meetings with the Secretary of State’s Office. I was informed this was due to a lack of trust from that office, and that participation would be delayed until others were more ‘comfortable.’ After receiving that information, I reached out directly to the Secretary of State as well as multiple members of her staff. Each of them shared with me that these conversations had not occurred. That response raised additional concerns for me and led me to believe this situation was developed internally by the CCCA President and Executive Director.”
The CCCA is run by Matt Crane, a former Arapahoe County clerk who has been the subject of much controversy since 2020. Crane is the mastermind of the recent CCCA statements demanding Tina Peters remain in prison. He is also the main point of escalation for the clerks on all things election-related.
In my opinion, Crane is a lobbyist that is invested (and literally vested through marriage) in the elections industry. With that in mind, it’s always blown me away that he is Colorado elected officials’ first call to “handle” election-related issues.
In the email, Schleiker is ostensibly saying that he believes Crane lied to him about why he was excluded from certain meetings. Yikes.
Of course, the public-private partnerships in elections ensure plausible deniability.
Consider that the Colorado Attorney General called Matt Crane to craft the official narrative debunking the findings of Tina Peters’ Mesa Reports back during the investigation into Peters’ 2021 actions. That audio was released by Joe Oltmann in February 2025, ostensibly proving that the investigation into Peter’s was a sham. That is, the investigator called and explicitly asked an elections industry lobbyist how to debunk the findings in the Mesa reports – and, in the audio, you can hear him typing it all down.
That’s how the official narrative “debunking” the reports came to be:
Matt Crane.
The same guy allegedly lying to the VP of the CCCA about meetings with SecState.
Schleiker continues:
“Historically, there have been differences between us, particularly regarding some of my public comments about our election system. I have not always aligned with what I would describe as a more uniform or ‘scripted’ message, including phrases such as referring to Colorado’s system as the ‘Gold Standard.’ I believe it is important to speak candidly and transparently, even when that perspective differs. More broadly, I have concerns about whether the Association is consistently operating in a truly non-partisan manner. While we are told that it is, my experience has led me to question whether that standard is being upheld in practice. I believe strongly that our work as clerks should be grounded in professionalism, service, and the rule of law, not political alignment.”
If the main point of escalation for Colorado voting issues is politically partisan, shouldn’t that be concerning? One of the main things said about Crane – by people relying on the authority of Crane – is that he is a Republican. That means his collaboration with the Colorado Department of State is “bipartisan,” or “non-partisan.”
But the Republican Clerk has his doubts. And they don’t stop at Crane’s allegiances…
“I have also become increasingly frustrated with aspects of the legislative process and the role the Association plays within [it]. In my view, clerks should have a meaningful voice in legislation that directly impacts our operations. When that voice is diminished, or when policy appears to be driven by outside interests rather than the collective input of clerks, it raises legitimate concerns about governance and representation. Ultimately, my decision came down to a matter of principle. I believe leadership requires independence, transparency, and the willingness to stand firm in those values, even when it is uncomfortable. I remain fully committed to serving the citizens of El Paso County with integrity and to ensuring our elections and public services are conducted in a professional, transparent, and non-partisan manner.”
El Paso County is the largest county in the state. This took courage and conviction from Schleiker.
This is huge.
This is a developing story. I have reached out to both Schleiker and Crane for comment, and I will provide updates on this site if and when they respond.
Here is a definitive example of someone, after doing all he could from the "inside" in order to affect change, determining that it was either not possible or not worth the risk to his values! That, to me is a crux issue for many of us - and one that the current state of elections (fake) continues to bring to the forefront.
Wisdom and discernment - and (as Patrick Henry put it) remembering that there is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations - are critical!
Thank you Ashe!
Thank you once again. Great input.