Colorado will be under watchful eyes of media, monitors on Election Day
October 20, 2008
By Myung Oak Kim
Rocky Mountain News
All eyes are on Colorado for the presidential election.
National media outlets, voting rights groups and election experts are coming to Colorado - or already are here - to monitor voting on Nov. 4.
The reasons: Colorado has had a history of voting problems and it's a key state in the race for the White House."Everyone is paying attention to everything that is happening in Colorado right now," said Dan Seligson, an editor at Electionline.org, a Washington, D.C., organization that studies election issues. "It's the same thing in Pennsylvania and Ohio. These are the states that everyone is watching."
CNN has sent a reporter and production team to Colorado to work full-time until the election, said national political director Sam Feist. These teams are in only three other states - Ohio, Florida and Virginia.
"It's a critical state for the first time in many years and both candidates are competing hard for it," Feist said.
Feist said if John McCain wins the important states that George W. Bush won in 2004, such as Florida and Ohio, the election could hinge on Colorado.
Other groups are more concerned about long lines on Election Day and possible voting equipment breakdowns.
Electronic voting suspect
Electionline.com and its sister organizations are sending staff to Colorado and a handful of other states.
David Becker, a lawyer who used to monitor elections for the Justice Department and who works with the group, said he'll focus on Denver polling sites but will also try to visit other parts of the state.
"Colorado has had some issues in the past with regard to electronic poll books and other technology issues," said Becker. "We want to see how Colorado's election administrators have worked to resolve those issues."
A recent national report by election monitoring groups said Colorado is poorly prepared to handle electronic voting machine failures on Election Day.
Secretary of State Mike Coffman said, "It's no secret that Colorado is in the eye of the storm." He recently visited all of the county clerks and "they're well aware of the pressures on this election. But they're professionals and have laid the foundation for a smooth election."
Scrutiny has been especially intense on Denver. That's one reason why Denver Elections recently added a link on its Web site called "myths and rumors."
The page deals with, among other things, claims that dead people are on the voting rolls and provisional ballots will be counted only if the race is close (both false).
Spokesman Alton Dillard said his office has been contacted by the BBC and ABC about covering Denver's election process.
Groups ready to respond
In November 2006, up to 20,000 people left long lines without voting because the electronic pollbook crashed. But Dillard points to successful elections in the last year and the revamped administrative and voting systems.
"There's no such thing as a perfect election," Dillard said. "But lines down the block and around the corner are very unlikely."
The Republican Party and the Obama campaign also will be paying close attention to how voting proceeds in Colorado.
Both sides will deploy scores of supporters, approved in advance by election officials, who will monitor polling places. They've also established Web sites focused on election integrity. And both sides plan to devote additional resources, including lawyers, to keep watch.
If equipment malfunctions and long lines do surface, several groups are preparing to respond.
Colorado Common Cause is setting up a 24-hour call center in Denver where volunteers will provide information and advice to voters, said Executive Director Jenny Flanagan. That number is 866-OURVOTE (687-8683) and is currently staffed.
CNN also is setting up a national hotline for reporting problems. That number is 877-GOCNN08 (462-6608).
Common Cause is partnering with national groups, including Election Protection. In past elections, Common Cause helped direct voters to polling sites with shorter lines.
The group hopes to recruit about 400 volunteers to serve as monitors at polling sites. That's twice as many as it had in 2006.
Flanagan said the 2000 voting debacle in Florida opened many eyes to election problems.
"We need to reform our system so that voters are protected," she said. "That's how we have a strong democratic process."
Source: The Rocky Mountain News
