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Purging voter list legal, AG says

2,500 duplicate names culled

By Myung Oak Kim, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 15, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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The removal of nearly 2,500 duplicate names from the statewide voter database did not violate federal law, the Colorado attorney general said Tuesday.

Secretary of State Mike Coffman asked for a legal opinion last week after discovering that county clerks had canceled the voter records, possibly violating a federal law that prohibits the "systematic" purging of voters within 90 days of a federal election.

The issue surfaced Thursday, when Coffman held a news conference to respond to a New York Times story that said Colorado had improperly purged about 37,000 voters within the 90-day window.

Coffman said the newspaper report was wrong and that roughly 2,500 duplicate voter files were removed during that period.

Deputy Attorney General Maurice Knaizer said county clerks are instructed to keep the most up-to-date file on a voter and to remove any duplicate information from the statewide voter registration database.

He said the removal of duplicate files was legal because those voters were still on the list and could vote.

"The deletion of all but the most recent registration does not prevent the voter from voting," Knaizer wrote. "The removal merely ensures that the voter will not receive or cast multiple ballots."

Knaizer said the 90-day provision was designed "to prevent the state from removing a person who is listed as an ineligible voter but who in fact may be eligible, thereby practically depriving the voter of an opportunity to establish his or her qualifications."

Coffman said the legal opinion "protects the integrity of the election process and ensures each voter receives one ballot."

Comments

  • October 15, 2008

    11:28 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    dlorang writes:

    No surprise since the Attorney General is a Republican, plus Mike Coffman's wife, Cynthia Coffman, is the Chief Deputy Attorney General! One more reason to vote for Hank Eng, Democrat running against Coffman in the 6th Congressional District.