The Libertarian Party of Colorado Joins HB12-1036 Veto Efforts

Today Colorado's Libertarian Party joined Citizen Center and the many diverse voices in asking Governor Hickenlooper to veto HB12-1036. The ill-concieved, anti-transparency bill undercuts basic democratic principles of equal access to public documents and citizen oversight of their elections.

The Libertarians join the Denver Post, the Boulder Daily Camera, as well as numerous public interest groups in requesting the governor's veto.

Follow @CitizenCenter1

Citizen Center Asks Governor Hickenlooper to Veto HB12-1036 (CORA/Elections)

Citizen Center has requested that Governor John Hickenlooper veto the hastily passed Elections and Open Records bill HB12-1036. Our letter to the Governor is available here. Citizen Center also supports the veto request made by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in their poignant letter to Governor Hickenlooper. Colorado Voter Group has requested a veto.  A grassroots organization of Saguache  County citizens who have  been making progress in bringing more transparency to their local government is asking for a veto due to the negative impact on their election oversight work.  Coloradans For Voting Integrity, a group which fought from full transparency from the beginning, also wrote Governor Hickenlooper  requesting his veto.  Other individual citizens from across the political spectrum have petitioned the Governor as well. Colorado Union of Taxpayers (CUT) has also submitted a veto request.

The flawed legislative process resulted in a high-impact bill that by design of the sponsors (Heath/White/Court/Murray) was allowed almost no debate, and ignored the expert input of the non-partisan Lawyers Committee Task Force on Elections.

More information to follow. Please join us in asking for Governor Hickenlooper's veto.

 Denver Post reported on this story :Colorado groups urge veto of limits on voted-ballot inspections

Update: As of May 28, we are aware of these letters in support of the veto

 Follow @CitizenCenter1

Court Orders Jefferson County Clerk to Release Electronic Ballots

The Aspen Times reports on the most recent court decision interpreting the Colorado Open Records Act to require anonymous electronic ballots to be released as open records:

Marks prevails in Jefferson County case

Janet Urquhart  The Aspen Times   Aspen, CO, Colorado

ASPEN — A District Court judge has deemed election records in Jefferson County open to public review and has awarded attorney's fees to Aspen election activist Marilyn Marks, who was denied access to the information.

Judge Randall Arp, in a ruling issued Monday, directed Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Pamela Anderson to provide the records requested by Marks and rejected the clerk's claim that release of the information could violate voter rights to an anonymous ballot. Any information that could potentially lead to identification of an individual voter who cast a ballot could be redacted, Arp concluded.

Marks said Tuesday that her legal expenses in the case total about $100,000.

Click to read more ...

Citizen Center Sues Secretary of State to Stop Unconstitutional Elections

Federal Lawsuit Seeks to End Colorado's

 Unconstitutional Election Practices 

COPY OF COMPLAINT 

AMENDED COMPLAINT

Denver, Colo. February 13--Citizen Center, a nonpartisan group of Colorado voters, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado today seeking an injunction and declaratory judgment requiring Secretary of State Scott Gessler and the county clerks of Boulder, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa, Eagle and Chaffee counties to immediately halt practices that violate voters' constitutional rights to vote anonymous, untraceable ballots.

Today's legal action seeks to correct election practices in order to restore voters' federal constitutional rights-the fundamental right to vote, freedom of expression, freedom of association, right to due process, and right to equal protection-and the state constitutional right to vote a secret (anonymous) ballot without which those federal constitutional rights cannot be freely exercised.

Click to read more ...

Officials Acknowledge Traceability of Ballots

Following links to various official correspondence by election and SOS officials concerning the tracebility of the ballots.

Collection of quotes from officials

Larimer County Clerk to State Legislators

Emails from Mesa Clerk Reiner to legislators that she can trace their ballots.

Correspondence Between Mesa Clerk Reiner and Representative King

 CORA request  which disclosed Reiner emails.