He Reported Election Fraud — Then Lost Everything | Erik Holt | Ep. 425

Jan 12, 2026

In a riveting discussion, Erik Holt, a former federal firefighter and rural Colorado fire chief, shares his harrowing experience after reporting suspected election misconduct. He reveals the shocking retaliation he faced, including losing his job, frozen bank accounts, and disrupted emergency services. Erik details how he uncovered evidence of coordinated fraud on election day and the conflicts of interest within the local DA's office. His fight for justice culminates in a legal battle emphasizing the critical importance of protecting whistleblowers, especially in public service.

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ANECDOTE

Rapidly Rebuilding A Rural Fire Department

Erik Holt rebuilt a struggling rural fire department from 5 responders to 62 and cut response time from 18 to 7 minutes in under a year.
He trained recruits, paid for academy/EMT courses, and maintained 24/7 station coverage to professionalize the service.

ADVICE

Preserve And Deliver Targeted Evidence

If you suspect election misconduct, preserve and document evidence as a private citizen and deliver it to investigators.
Provide clear timestamps and highlights to make review feasible instead of dumping raw footage.

ANECDOTE

Recorded Surveillance Revealed Coordinated Voting

Erik used his personal funds to obtain 40+ hours of polling-location surveillance footage and found repeated rule violations and coordinated signaling during voting.
He documented poll watchers coordinating voters and counting signals during the day that matched the official ballot counts in the engine bay.

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In this episode, I sit down with former federal employee and rural Colorado Fire Chief Erik Holt, who says his career ended after he reported what he believed to be clear evidence of election misconduct.

After nearly two decades in federal service, he accepted a Fire Chief position in a small rural district, rebuilding the department from the ground up. Within a year, it grew from five personnel to more than sixty trained firefighters. By every measurable standard, the department was thriving.

Then came the May 2023 election.

Following complaints from citizens, he reviewed surveillance footage from polling locations and says what he found raised serious legal concerns. Acting as a private citizen, and believing he had both a moral and legal obligation, he reported the findings to the District Attorney's Office.

What followed, according to him, was retaliation.

The newly elected board—some of whom were allegedly implicated—ordered him to delete surveillance footage. He refused. Bank accounts were frozen. Emergency services and payroll were disrupted. Days later, he was fired.

He filed a federal lawsuit asserting First Amendment protections, arguing that reporting election fraud should not cost a public servant their livelihood. While the court acknowledged misconduct, his case was dismissed without ever reaching a jury.

During the process, he says he uncovered troubling conflicts of interest inside the District Attorney's Office itself—raising serious questions about accountability, due process, and whether constitutional protections truly apply to those who speak up from inside government institutions.

He is now appealing his case to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals after exhausting more than $150,000 of personal funds.

Erik's GoFundMe Link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/free-speech-retaliation-and-the-cost-of-integrity

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