Election monitors will observe voting in Adams County, Colorado, Department of Justice says
The U.S. Department of Justice plans to send election monitors to Adams County on Election Day in Colorado. According to the Civil Rights Division in the DOJ, the monitors will be there to "observe and take notes," and "they do not interfere in any way in the voting process."
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold's office says it received the letter about the election monitors on Wednesday, and is requesting information about the individuals the DOJ intends to send as observers so they can be authorized by the state office, and also asking the federal agency to identify specific locations and areas where it is seeking access. In a letter sent to the DOJ on Thursday, Deputy Secretary of State Andrew Kline said, "Please also note that Official Observers are subject to parameters set forth in their authorizing letter, as well as Colorado election law and rules and may be removed if they fail to comply with any of these requirements."
According to the DOJ, the monitoring will be done the same way it has been in the past.
The letter details that the monitors will dress in business casual attire and not be identified by uniforms or pins. They are not allowed to talk to voters inside the polling places and are forbidden to carry firearms.
"I was not necessarily surprised, said Adams County Clerk Josh Zygielbaum. "We've been expecting some sort of federal involvement for some time, but I was shocked that it came to us and not both Adams and Weld." Zygielbaum says the highly competitive Congressional District 8 spans both counties with Adams leaning liberal and Weld conservative.
Earlier on Thursday, the secretary of state's office said that Douglas County was also notified about receiving election observers, but the DOJ said the letter to Douglas was sent "in error."
The letter from the DOJ also included this statement, "Generally, we are monitoring for compliance with the federal voting rights statutes that fall within the jurisdiction of the Civil Rights Division. This includes statutes such as the Voting Rights Act (52 U.S.C. §§ 10301-10314, 10501-10508, and 10701-10702), the National Voter Registration Act (52 U.S.C. § 20501 et seq.), the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (52 U.S.C. § 20301 et seq.), the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (52 U.S.C. § 20101 et seq.) the Civil Rights Act (52 U.S.C. §§ 10101, 20701 et seq.), and the Help America Vote Act (52 U.S.C. § 20901 et seq.). We also check for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.).
"From our perspective, it won't change how we operate. We have watchers in who've been appointed by political parties or campaigns every single election. They're here to serve a very important role of keeping the community's eyes on how we operate," said Zygielbaum.
Doug Spencer, a CU Law Professor, does not think the state should legally challenge the federal observers.
"The Department of Justice has been clear they're willing to talk to the counties in question and give them more information. If the county wants to send their own observers to be there on site and make sure that things are going smoothly, that's probably the best approach that they could take if they have serious concerns about this," said Spencer.
"Regardless of who is in our office watching, we follow the law every single election, and we report out the results of who won, regardless of the party that wins," said Zygielbaum.
The Civil Rights Division will also be holding an online meeting with Adams County about its monitoring ahead of Election Day. Some things the state wants to know are specifics about where the monitors want to be and what access they're requesting.
Karen Hoopes, the Republican candidate for Adams County Clerk and Recorder, issued this statement to CBS Colorado, "I welcome independent, lawful observation of our elections, whether it comes from political parties, citizen observers, or the U.S. Department of Justice. Transparency should never be viewed as a threat. It is how we build public confidence."
