Denver off state’s election watch list
Denver was removed Friday from the state’s election “watch list,” with Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman saying the city had fixed problems that arose during the 2006 election.
Coffman said he acted in response to a request for watch-list removal from Stephanie O’Malley, clerk and recorder for the City and County of Denver.
Coffman said he agreed with O’Malley that Denver had established procedures that would help it to keep voter wait times to a reasonable limit on election day, Nov. 4.
“Following Clerk O’Malley’s election in 2007, she has been tireless in her commitment to ensure that her voters won’t experience excessive wait times,” Coffman said in a statement. “The voters in Denver should have the upmost respect for Clerk O’Malley and confidence in the elections held in the county free credit report and score.”
In 2006, many Denver voters met with long waits at the polls as the city adopted a system of using centralized “vote centers.”
Coffman said Denver has since switched to a voting system that makes use of precinct-based voting and paper ballots. He also said the city had added to its election staff and beefed up pollworker training.
Denver was one of several counties that Coffman placed on the watch list after they experienced problems in the 2006 election. Some have since been removed.