A consultant claiming to work for the White House called several Republican county clerks in Colorado last week, seeking “third-party” access to secure voting equipment.

Tempers are rising in Douglas County, where an effort to seek home-rule authority is running up against an opposition that feels like the whole process has been shrouded in secrecy.

For the first time in six Colorado counties, people 65 and older now outnumber children under 18.

Controversy has exploded in Douglas County ahead of a June 24 special election asking voters whether to bring home rule authority to the conservative county.