Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

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Colo. Voting Woes Rise As Election Nears

....Colorado could end up writing an ugly sequel to the Florida election nightmare of four years ago.

County clerks have been swamped with a surge in voter registrations, thousands of felons are on the voter rolls, and there is widespread confusion about how provisional ballots will be counted and voting rules will be enforced....

....When it comes to the voter rolls, things started getting confusing when counties began seeing a surge in voter registrations. No one is sure how many new voters signed up, but the figure could be well over 100,000.

Secretary of State Donetta Davidson stunned county clerks by effectively scrapping the Oct. 4 registration deadline after people complained their registration forms had not been turned in by various get-out-the-vote campaigns.

More problems could result from provisional ballots - essentially backup ballots that are used when voters think they are properly registered but their names do not appear on the rolls.

People who do not show up on voter rolls will be asked to swear they are eligible to vote in order to get a provisional ballot. The problem? If they aren't on the rolls, election judges cannot confirm whether they are telling the truth....

....Davidson also has acknowledged that there are about 6,000 felons registered to vote in Colorado. She is updating information from corrections officials to distribute lists to county clerks, who will have to purge their rolls of convicted felons still serving their sentences or out on parole.

The secretary of state is downplaying the concerns about Florida-like fiasco, but has criticized Attorney General Ken Salazar for keeping her "out of the loop" when it comes to investigating voter fraud.

Bruce Altschuler, a political science professor at the State University of New York at Oswego, said similar problems are cropping up in every battleground state.

"The fear or hope, as the case may be, by both parties is this election could turn out to be as close as last time," Altschuler said. "Both sides are leaving no stone unturned in the search for potential voters and the potential for hanky-panky and lawsuits."

If Colorado ends up close, there is little question the losing side would challenge the results, based on any mistakes that might have been made in preparing for the election or counting votes.

"It would certainly be my hope that there's no need for any kind of legal action after Election Day," said state Republican Party Chairman Ted Halaby. "We also have to be realistic, and we have the issue of provisional ballots, and we have widespread reports of vast fraudulent registration. It is a cause for concern."

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