El Paso County Clerk wins ‘Guardian of Democracy’ award for defending election process
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Threats of violence, lawsuits, and debunking political pressure. Those are just some of the challenges El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Chuck Broerman says he has had to overcome in the last two years.
Now, the clerk is being recognized for his work in the face of adversity.
Chuck Broerman received the "Guardian of Democracy Award" at a recent conference for the Colorado County Clerks Association.
It’s the first time this award has ever been given out, and the Clerks Association says they chose Broerman because no other clerk in the state has faced more pressure over the last two years.
"El Paso County, we had kind of been the point of the spear against elections here," said Broerman. "People trying to deliberately undermine people's confidence. We've had threats from people locally, from around the state, and around the country about the elections.”
The County Clerks Association says Broerman has always put the truth first, despite pressure from election deniers.
"Chuck has never once faltered to do the right thing in terms of telling the truth," said Matt Crane the Executive Director of the Colorado County Clerks Association. "He has refused to give in to political pressure, as we've seen other clerks in Colorado do. He stood up and said, 'no, I'm not going to break the law. I'm not going to violate my oath of office. I'm going to do the right thing.'"
But doing the right thing hasn't always been easy.
“Some of these folks that mean ill, they meant to put myself, this office, and this county in a difficult legal position, and also financially cost the county quite a bit of money,” said Broerman. "But I said, 'You know what? I got to be true to myself. I got to be able to look in that mirror each and every day.' And my wife goes, 'You know that it will be at great consequence?' I said, 'I understand. I'm ready to bear that consequence.' But I can't look at myself in the mirror if I don't honor the truth."
Broerman is term-limited and cannot run for County Clerk and Recorder again. He says if it wasn't for the term limit, he would gladly stay in this role despite the difficult times.
Overall though, he says he’s proud of the work his team has done over the last 8 years.
"I think that the legacy is truth and honor, and about doing the right thing," said Broerman. "Your character is about what you do when people aren't watching.”
