Colorado Clerk forbids voting by secret ballot

From: Al Kolwicz [Trustee, Colorado Voter Group]
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 11:54 AM
To: Hillary Hall [Boulder County Clerk & Recorder]
Subject: Anonymous ballots

Hi Hillary,

Yesterday, at the Public Demonstration, HART demonstrated how to set up ballots with no unique identifiers (not digits or bar code). They set the bar code value to a constant of “0”.

Also, they demonstrated how to set up the ballot with a removable ballot stub. The stub can contain a serial number. They indicated that this is a very commonly used form of ballot. HART produces these ballots.

We recommend that Boulder County use ballots with serial numbers recorded on removable stubs. This will comply with the Colorado Constitution, Article VII section 8, and will provide the audit trail needed for ballot integrity.

Can we count on Boulder County to use ballots with serial numbers recorded on removable stubs for the 2008 elections?

Thanks

Al

---------------------------------------------------------

From: Hall, Hillary [Boulder County Clerk & Recorder]
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 8:00 AM
To: Al Kolwicz [Trustee, Colorado Voter Group]
Subject: RE: Anonymous ballots

Al,

After reviewing the system and how it functions. We will be using the system as it has been designed. While it MAY be able to use the system without bar codes for the primary, we must use the bar codes for the general. Therefore, we will be using the system as it has been designed.

The long term solution to this problem is to purchase a new system. At this point in time, there is neither a system that I could recommend switching to nor the funds to do so.

Hillary

---------------------------------------------------------

From: Al Kolwicz [Trustee, Colorado Voter Group]
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 12:35 PM
To: 'Hall, Hillary' [Boulder County Clerk & Recorder]
Cc: Colorado Voter Group; CFVI, Paper Tigers
Subject: RE: Anonymous ballots

Ms. Hall,

Your reply is a great disappointment. Based on your pre-election statements, we were counting on you to eliminate Boulder County’s use of non-secret ballots.

We have been told, on the record by HART officials, that the HART system is designed to use paper ballots with removable stubs so that the serial numbers [can be removed before the ballot is cast, and] so that the voter cannot identify their own ballot once it has been cast. After all, if this were not the case it would violate Colorado’s Constitution and the system could not have been certified, could it?

Please reconsider your decision before it is too late. The voters of Boulder County expect and deserve secret ballots. It is your decision alone to deprive us of this right.

Al Kolwicz
Colorado Voter Group