For Immediate Release
October 25, 2024
Contact: Sahari McCormick, smccormick@gilpincounty.org
Election Watchers and Signature Verification in Gilpin County
On October 22, 2024, an election watcher was dismissed from their role due to violations of state statute and county policy regarding election watchers.
Watchers must follow Colorado Revised Statute 1-13.5-602 when performing their role as a watcher. They must take an oath of watcher, a course of training from the Secretary of State’s office and agree to items on a checklist of rules that they must abide by. The Clerk’s Office has adopted a watcher policy that spells out the details of that statute, and watchers must agree to each term before sitting as a watcher.
Rules for watchers include remaining in the areas designated by elections staff and not speaking to the election judges among other rules. Areas in the Gilpin Courthouse for watchers are delineated and set up about 4 to 5 feet away from the work being conducted and work is completely visible to a watcher. Moving chairs closer to the worker and work station is not permitted. Workers are provided space so they can work unencumbered. If a watcher refuses to abide by these rules, they can be dismissed. It is also expected that a watcher conducts themselves in a professional manner.
Watchers, while given a clear view of the worker and their work, are there to watch; they are not there to perform the role of the worker. For signature verification, a watcher can watch the process, and be close enough to the computer to see, but a worker is not required to show them the ballot envelope or do any task that will impede the worker from completing their job. If a worker accepts a ballot signature for example, the ballot is accepted. If a worker rejects an envelope signature, that envelope is then given to a second team of workers for review and that team determines if it is accepted or rejected. A rejected signature will trigger a letter to the voter, along with a BallotTrax notice if the voter is registered with BallotTrax, so they may ‘cure’ their signature. Receiving a notice is how voters in Mesa County were able to determine that someone had fraudulently voted their ballot. Given this situation where a worker accepted 3 fraudulent signatures on Tier 2 signature verification, it needs to be noted that having a watcher there would have made no difference as a watcher does not get to weigh in on the acceptance or rejection of signatures.
Gilpin County Clerk Sahari McCormick says ‘it is an unfortunate situation in Mesa County where a worker accepted 3 signatures after the verification machine rejected them. I want voters to know that in Gilpin County, every single signature is verified by an actual human. Questionable signatures are sent to a second team of workers who then review the signature again. All election workers are expected to be professional, unbiased and thorough in their work. Workers know they are serving the voter and strive to do the best job possible.’
The watcher dismissal has not impacted any functions of the election and Clerk McCormick adds ‘it was unfortunate that election workers, county staff and voters were caught up in the drama. Everyone needs to be assured that those who are processing the ballots are committed to their role, take their oath of office seriously and are working hard to serve the voter so that this election is accurate and secure. I too take my oath of office seriously and strive to run elections by the book.’
The General Election is November 5, 2024 and ballots are due back to the Clerk’s office by 7pm. Gilpin County has 3 ballot boxes to drop your ballot in, but a voter can use any of the 418 drop boxes statewide.
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Learn more about the role and rights of Election Watchers on the Colorado Secretary of State (SOS) website.