Aspen City Council members challenge Boebert for upcoming denial of Electoral College certification
Two elected officials send letter to new 3rd District Congresswoman Lauren Boebert about her plan to challenge presidential election
On the eve of Congresswoman Lauren Boebert challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election on Wednesday, Aspen City Council members were drafting her a letter that asks her on what basis she is objecting to the certification of Electoral College votes.
“As council members of a municipality within your district, we are also elected representatives of your taxpaying constituents, and as such we would like to be able to more fully and accurately explain the actions you have publicly proposed to our residents,” a draft letter reads, which was sent by council members Rachel Richards and Ann Mullins sent on Wednesday. “As you might imagine, many see your actions as a direct deliberate assault on states’ rights, the foundations of our Democracy, the votes of minorities, and the American rule of law.”
Richards first introduced the letter to council for consideration during a work session Tuesday regarding the first-term Congresswoman who took office Jan. 3.
“Once you’ve sworn your oath of office and you’ve sworn to uphold the Constitution, you become a different person and you are responsible to all the citizens within your area whom you are representing,” Richards said Tuesday. “I am very concerned about how the Western Slope is going to be represented in the future and how we are being represented to the country through our Congressional representative.”
Richards noted that with Boebert joining a contingency of Republican House members and Republican senators planning to challenge the electoral votes in several states based on unfounded allegations of fraud, it invalidates the votes of the citizens of Aspen and Pitkin County who voted to elect Joe Biden president of the Untied States by more than 70%.
“We are hopeful that as our Congressional representative that your actions are indeed based upon facts, not allegations, hearsay, innuendo or fringe internet fabrications that have previously been found by multiple courts of law to be unsubstantiated, unfounded and unconstitutional attempts to undermine a free and fair election,” the letter reads. “We are writing today to formally request the specific evidence upon which you intend to base your vote.”
Richards’ colleagues said they were completely on board with sending the letter prior to Congress certifying the Electoral College vote Wednesday. The convening of the House and Senate is scheduled at 11 a.m. mountain time.
A voicemail and text messages to Boebert went unreturned Tuesday evening.
The Electoral College voted in December, which handed Biden the win, with 306 votes versus 232 for Donald Trump.
Boebert supports Trump’s claims that ballots were not properly counted or were fraudulent in Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
“I have been reading about her antics in D.C. and it’s really disturbing that she’s our representative,” Councilwoman Ann Mullins said.
Boebert has already, within a few days of being in office, created a stir with D.C. law enforcement about her intention to carry her Glock semi-automatic pistol on Capitol grounds.
She challenged Aspen City Council in 2019 when it passed a ban on deadly weapons in municipal government buildings.
Councilman Ward Hauenstein on Tuesday called Boebert “deplorable” and “ignorant.”
“I am deeply upset with what’s happening with the election, with Trump,” he said. “When Lauren took an oath of office she swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States, she did not swear to Donald Trump. … our democracy is just deteriorating and I don’t want Lauren Boebert representing me.”
Boebert won the state’s 3rd Congressional District after beating Democrat Diane Mitsch Bush in November, and incumbent GOP Congressman Scott Tipton in the primary.
