Panel calls for all-paper elections

The Colorado legislature should not lock voters into using inferior election equipment beyond the 2010 General Election. Colorado election reform issues involve hundreds of pages of Colorado and federal election law and numerous complex electronic voting equipment security weaknesses and reliability issues, of multiple machines, produced by four different manufacturers, used in 64 different counties. The compressed time schedule forced on the Colorado Election Commission was simply inadequate to deal with all of these complex issues. Members of the Colorado Election Commission unselfishly gave citizens hours of service, enduring criticism from many directions, while grappling with complex problems, with inadequate time to adequately address them.

County Clerks need to know what election laws they are required to comply with to adequately meet all of the legally required election planning deadlines. However, the economy, governmental budgets and availability of improved election equipment may change considerably, in two years.

The legislature should appoint a new Election Reform Commission, to continue this work. The ERC contained only one registered Independent voter, in an eleven member committee. The Colorado Election Reform Commission did not appropriately represent approximately one third of registered Colorado voters, who are registered as Independents. Unfortunately, political partisanship occurred on a commission charged with recommending nonpartisan reforms.

Recommendations to eliminate uncontested primary elections should be enacted into law to eliminate wasted money and decrease the heavy workload of our County Clerks. County Clerks should be commended for preventing long lines on November 4, 2008, and their extraordinary efforts to successfully register voters, despite inadequacies of the SCORE voter database and additional work required by massive voter registration drives.

The Colorado Election Reform Commission recommended that Jefferson and Arapahoe County be allowed to continue using touchscreen electronic balloting machines which do not produce a paper trail. The other 62 Colorado Counties all provide Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails for their electronic voting equipment. Denying Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails to Jefferson and Arapahoe County voters appears to violate the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution, which prohibits denying any citizen equal protection of the law. How did the legislature decide Jefferson and Arapahoe County voters are second class citizens, undeserving of the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail, used by the remaining 62 Colorado counties?

Allowing Arapahoe and Jefferson County unlimited use of paperless DRE electronic voting systems is unacceptable. If they are allowed to continue using these paperless DREs, at all, their use should be strictly limited to voters who request them, as an accommodation to an actual disability. Their use should be limited to a maximum of 10 percent of voters. Hinsdale County reports being overwhelmed by the cost of providing DRE voting machines, despite not a single voter choosing to vote on them!

Colorado County Clerks should also be required to submit cost data for various voting methods to the Colorado Secretary of State. The Colorado Secretary of State should ensure that accurate comparative cost data is posted on the State of Colorado website. Cost data submitted should include electronic election equipment pretesting, logic and accuracy testing, post testing, storage, and maintenance contract costs, per vote. Comparative cost data for different voting methods would help citizens and the legislature reach better decisions concerning voting systems approved for use in Colorado.

Clif W

02/24/09 5:41 pm

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Panel calls for all-paper elections

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Appoint new less partisan Election Reform Commission

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