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Frequently asked voting questions

By Myung Oak Kim, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 10, 2008 at 4:33 p.m.
Updated October 10, 2008 at 4:33 p.m.

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Election law isn't simple, as seen in the recent controversy over voter rules.

Even some election officials don't get it right.

The El Paso County Clerk's office apologized two weeks ago for giving Colorado College wrong information about which students can vote on campus.

Thursday, the Secretary of State's office said it incorrectly told 4,000 people with incomplete registration applications that the deadline for fixing the problem was Oct. 6 rather than Nov. 4.

The Secretary of State's office also is seeking legal advice on whether it violated federal law by recently removing almost 2,500 duplicate registrations.

Here are answers to commonly asked questions about voter eligibility and how the voter database is managed:

Who can register to vote?

Anyone 18 years of age or older at the time of the election, is a U.S. citizen and has lived in the state and precinct 30 days before the election.

Can I still sign up to vote for the presidential election?

No.

How do I check my voter status?

You can check online at govotecolorado.com or by calling the Secretary of State's office at 303-894-2200 or your county clerk's office.

Who manages the Colorado voter database?

The Secretary of State's office oversees the database, known as SCORE (State of Colorado Registration and Election). However, county election workers manage the files — processing all voter registration forms and requests for mail ballots and changing a voter's status if necessary.

Is the database different this year?

Yes. Until this year, county election offices kept separate databases, produced by different software companies, that were sent monthly to the Secretary of State's office. Last summer, all 64 counties went on the new statewide system, which is connected in real time to other state agency files.

How do election workers check if a voter application is legitimate?

When election workers put an applicant's information into the database, the computer system automatically checks for duplicate files in other counties and for matching information on files kept by state departments of revenue, health and corrections.

The database will immediately notify the election worker if the applicant is determined to be dead, out of state, already registered, or serving a felony sentence or on parole. It also shows any voter files with similar names and ID information.

What if the election worker isn't sure about eligibility?

Those forms will be set aside for further investigation. Most likely, election workers will call and send a letter to the applicant asking for more information.

If the applicant doesn't respond to the county clerk's office, his or her file will be flagged as incomplete and he or she will have to cast a provisional ballot at the polls. The voter also will have to submit proper identification for the ballot to be accepted and counted.

Voters have until Election Day to resolve any problems on their registration applications.

How are voter files purged?

Laws regarding voter list purges vary from state to state. In Colorado, election workers will put a voter on inactive status after he or she doesn't vote in a federal election. Then the voter will be notified by mail of being put on inactive status. If that person does not vote in a second federal election, his or her voter file will be cancelled.

Voter files also will be put on cancelled status - but not removed from the list - if the person is determined to be dead, serving a felony sentence or otherwise ineligible.

Why is there a problem with removing voter files now?

Federal law prohibits election workers from systematically purging voter files within 90 days of a federal election unless the voter is dead, has moved or serving a felony sentence.

What do I do if I show up at the polls and my name isn't on the list?

First, try to make sure you are at the proper polling site according to your address. If that doesn't fix the problem, then you should be able to cast a provisional ballot.

What is a provisional ballot?

These are processed and counted separately after Election Day and require eligibility checks to be accepted. They're not included in the unofficial results reported on Election Night but will be included in the official tally reported later in the month.

Comments

  • October 11, 2008

    5:15 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Stan_Weekes writes:

    Where's the Beef?
    Must have just missed the part about proving Citizenship.....

    Oh, that's right, you don't have to do that in Colorado.

    I guess they ID you when you go to vote.
    Utility bills are such solid proof.

    If you believe fraud isn't happening, then my name is George Bush, and I have a War to sell you.

  • October 12, 2008

    8:25 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    slocatch writes:

    I heard members of La Famila tell illegals "it's ok that your not, do you have an excel statement? thats all you need, they won't ask."

  • October 12, 2008

    8:29 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Stan_Weekes writes:

    When you view the law concerning qualifications to register to vote you find that a name, address, birth date and an affirmation of honesty are the only real requirements. Because Colorado does not require proof of Citizenship, one of the basic elements involving the vote remains somewhat a mystery. Thus, few clues are available to aid any investigation of fraud, leaving the check boxes, in effect, legal statements concerning basic facts. Those little bits of information are the only methods to verify the integrity of the affirmation. The seemingly simple instructions supply data, without adding additional verbiage, for state wide comparisons, and potentially an audit trail.

    So, all you need to do is swear to tell the truth about your name ID, address, and citizenship. The vote deserves more integrity than that. To just give you a unique number, that's traceable to only your address, seems counter intuitive to 'qualified voter'.

    --from the County Clerk form:

    "Pursuant to Federal Law, your completed voter registration form must contain your State of Colorado Driver's License Number or your Dept. of Revenue Identification Number.
    If you do not have a Driver's License or Dept. of Revenue Identification Number, then you must provide the last four digits of your Social Security Number.
    If you do not have a Driver's License Number, a Dept. of Revenue Identification Number, or a Social Security Number, you must check the appropriate boxes.
    A unique identifying number will be assigned to you by the State and you will still be registered to vote.
    NOTE: If the identification section is left blank and you do not check the boxes indicating you do not have identification, you will not be registered to vote."

    The Affirmation:
    "By completing and signing this Voter Registration Application, you are affirming the following information:
    (a) You intend to claim the present address as your sole legal place of residence and, in so doing, abandon claim to any other legal residence.
    (b) You are aware that, if you are a resident of this state for voting purposes, you are also a resident of this state for motor vehicle registration and operation purposes and for income tax purposes.
    (c) You cannot legally vote in more than one place in any election.
    (d) You are aware that a violation of the self-affirmation, of which you are about to make, is a criminal act under the laws of this state and you will be subject to the penalties provided by law.
    WARNING: It is a crime to swear or affirm falsely as to your qualifications to register to vote."
    http://www.bouldercounty.org/clerk/elec ... onForm.pdf

  • October 14, 2008

    12:15 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Mayor_Quimby writes:

    How do you vote several times? Oh, that's right! You either go to the Democratic party headquarters or find your local ACORN office.