Colorado elections clerk cleared in election breach probe

DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s secretary of state says a Republican elections clerk has been cleared of accusation that he was involved in a potential security breach of elections equipment and that she is closing her investigation of the case. Secretary Jena Griswold said in a Thursday statement that Merlin Klotz, clerk and recorder of suburban Douglas County, had responded to an order that he disclose information about a possible copying of data from an elections server. The investigation was triggered by a social media post attributed to Klotz, who denied anyone had made images of server hard drives, Griswold said. Klotz was the third Republican election clerk in Colorado under investigation for alleged breaches of state election systems.