Colorado Springs company tied to alleged forged signatures in school choice ballot investigation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A statewide grand jury has indicted two petition circulators, who worked for a Colorado Springs-based canvassing company, accused of submitting forged signatures tied to a 2024 school choice ballot initiative campaign.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced Tuesday that Cherell Long of Nevada and Martin Arellano of Texas were each charged with four counts related to allegedly fraudulent petition signatures submitted to place Amendment 80 on the November 2024 ballot.

According to the indictment, both individuals worked as paid petition circulators for Victor’s Canvassing, LLC, one of three firms hired to gather signatures for the school choice constitutional amendment campaign.

Investigators say the defendants submitted petitions containing forged signatures, including signatures from deceased voters and people who had already moved out of Colorado before the petitions were circulated.

The initiative campaign submitted more than 190,000 signatures to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. An initial review found roughly 131,000 appeared valid — enough to surpass the 124,238 required to qualify for the ballot. The measure ultimately appeared before voters as Amendment 80 in the 2024 general election.

However, a later internal review by the Secretary of State’s office raised concerns after some signatures failed to match voter records.

The Attorney General’s Office said the number of fraudulent signatures uncovered would not have changed Amendment 80’s qualification for the ballot.

Both defendants now face:

• One count of attempt to influence a public servant, a class 4 felony
• One count of elections forgery, a class 5 felony
• One count of forgery, a class 5 felony
• One count of perjury, a class 2 misdemeanor

The cases were filed in Denver District Court, and arrest warrants remain active.

In a statement, Weiser said petition fraud undermines confidence in Colorado’s election process.

“Petition circulators who submit fraudulent signatures to the state to put a candidate or initiative on the ballot must be held accountable for their unlawful conduct,” Weiser said. “We are committed to protecting our elections and safeguarding the process for petitioning onto the ballot.”

The Attorney General’s Office is asking anyone with information about the defendants’ whereabouts to contact local law enforcement.