Denver Clerk and Recorder tapped for election reform panel Bipartisan commission to look at the state of elections in ColoradoDenver Clerk and Recorder Stephanie O’Malley has been appointed to the Colorado Election Reform Commission, which will meet this fall to examine controversial issues surrounding the conducting of state and local elections, and make recommendations to the state legislature.
The Election Reform Commission was created by the Colorado Legislature toward the end of a tumultuous legislative session for county elections officials and voting watchdog groups across the state. Bills were introduced to deal with the fallout after a majority of the state’s voting equipment was decertified last winter by the Colorado secretary of state. There was also a failed effort by state leaders to pass a bill mandating paper ballots for the 2008 elections during the session.
Ms. O’Malley, Denver’s first elected clerk and recorder, has already completed a similar elections analysis for the City and County of Denver. “This collaborative approach is similar to what we did in Denver in 2007 when we convened our 2008 Elections Model Advisory Committee,” said O’Malley. “It is vital to have a variety of perspectives at the table when working toward our common goal of assuring that the voter’s right to cast their ballot is not abridged while we face the challenges of an ever-shifting elections landscape.”
Some of the issues the commission may examine include:
- Review of studies elsewhere that might support recommended changes in Colorado’s election laws to increase accuracy, security and transparency of elections;
- Problems encountered by counties with electronic voting equipment;
- Current state rules and procedures for certification of electronic voting equipment;
- Technology that might enhance the ability of people with disabilities to vote in privacy;
- Whether current recounting and vote auditing procedures should be changed;
- And whether the state should adopt a uniform voting system to be used by all counties.
The commission will convene after the November 2008 elections in public meetings, and will report their findings and recommendations to the state legislature by March 1, 2009.