In The NoCo

If deepfakes and other misinformation target Colorado voters, election officials have a plan to respond

By In The NoCo,

Published August 28, 2024 at 5:35 AM MDT

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Carly Koppes, a woman with blonde hair and a blue shirt with a zipper, smiles in front of a gray background. — "I think everybody needs to be aware of what we are potentially facing when it comes to elections," says Weld County Clerk & Recorder Carly Koppes. "As far as deepfake videos (or artificial intelligence) in social media — it's not going to have an impact on how we actually do our job. Our elections are secure, they are transparent, they are fair."

Weld County’s Clerk and Recorder Carly Koppes has a noticeable online presence. She posts lots of informational videos around election time telling voters how to cast a ballot or get ready for election day.

But here’s something that keeps Koppes -- and a lot of other election officials -- up at night. Artificial intelligence is developing so quickly that a bad actor could take one of those videos and convincingly alter her voice, so that it sounds like she’s saying something misleading... such as giving the wrong hours when polls are open.

Koppes and other clerks from Colorado’s 64 counties recently gathered to talk about those scenarios that give them nightmares as the November election approaches. She joined host Erin O’Toole to discuss how election officials like her are gearing up to respond to misleading emails, deepfake videos, and other social media misinformation.

Not sure if your voter registration is up to date? Check it at GoVoteColorado.com:

Read more about Mesa County clerk Tina Peters’ verdict in The Colorado Sun.

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In The NoCo Elections Artificial Intelligence (AI)Election Security Weld County

In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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