Colorado AG steps in after landlord allegedly threatens rent raise at mobile home park if Biden wins

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Colorado’s Attorney General sent a cease and desist letter to the owner of a mobile home park in Fort Morgan, Colo., following reports of voter intimidation after the landlord allegedly threatened to spike rent rates should Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden win on Nov. 3.

Attorney General Phillip Weiser’s office found that Bernie Pagel violated voter intimidation laws after he submitted a letter to his tenants that said, “[I]f Joe Biden is elected as our next president, everything you do and have to pay for will change completely.”

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The order submitted to Pagel on Oct. 23 but released Wednesday, found that “the attempts to induce homeowners/tenants to vote against a particular candidate by stating a significant increase in rent prices if one candidate wins the presidential election,” violated “unlawful voter intimidation,” according to the Denver Post 

Pagel’s letter also claimed that while all expenses in the park would increase if Biden was elected president, they would hold off on tenant increases if President Trump were re-elected.

“Everything will be increased. Like paying alot more in taxes, utilities, gasoline, groceries, new permits, fees and regulations…everything! This also means your rent will be increased to cover these expenses. Most likely, rent would double in price!” The letter read.

“If the current president is re-elected, we will not raise the rent for at least 2 years!”  Pagel added. 

Colorado election officials have repeatedly warned that voter intimidation will not be tolerated and Secretary of State Jena Griswold reinforced this in tweet last week, reminding Coloradans that “voter intimidation is illegal everywhere in Colorado.”

“It is against the law to impede, prevent, or interfere with a person’s right to vote,” Griswold’s office tweeted. “This includes efforts to intimidate, threaten or coerce in a way that interferes with a person’s ability to vote.”

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Griswold has been outspoken on voter security in the lead up to the general election, even testifying in front of the House’s Administration Subcommittee on Elections earlier this month, calling for additional oversight and funding for election safeguarding – though she would not comment on the Attorney General’s recent actions.

The cease and desist submitted to Pagel does not mean that the landlord faces any penalties at this time, though if there is evidence of continued intimidation, he could face $1,000 in fines and up to a year in prison, according to the state’s Attorney General.