Colorado Voter Group

The Colorado Voter Group is a private entity working to improve Colorado's election system.
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Colorado Voting Equipment Certification
 
Colorado's court-ordered certification of voting systems is in default. 
 
Department of State personnel have failed to comply with their own Voting System State Certification Program. 
 
To cover up, management has erected a wall of secrecy surrounding the process and refused to answer valid public inquiries. 
 
It is well documented that the voting systems undergoing certification testing are severely defective.  To minimize the negative impact of these defective systems on the 2007 and 2008 elections the department must stop dilly-dallying around, now!
 
It appears that staff and independent testers have failed to detect proven defects.  Is the department withholding information to cover up testing and system inadequacies?
 
Is the Colorado Department of State working in the best interests of Colorado voters?  Or are they working in behalf of election officials and voting equipment suppliers?  
 
Who is accountable for this travesty and what will be done about it?  More importantly, when will Colorado Secretary of State, Mike Coffman, publicly acknowledge the facts about the certification problems and consult with members of the Colorado Voter Group? 
 
There is a workable solution that will minimize the potential damage by the untrustworthy voting equipment.  California has adopted a variation of this solution. 
 

Who's accountable?  What is Colorado doing about California-reported vulnerabilities?  Will Colorado rely on the discredited work of a test vendor? 

 

NEW More "sham" meetings scheduled for March 6 and 7.

The SOS will conduct hearings rgarding the conditions placed on clerks and vendors.  None of the issues raised by the public will be addressed.

 

NEW  SOS ignores public concerns.  Conditionally certifies more HART equipment.

February 28 - Secretary of State Mike Coffman announced that Hart’s optical scanners, the eScan, central count scanner and BallotNow software, are conditionally certified for use in Colorado.

 

Certification Results, Feb 25, 2008  

  • Certification results - ES&S - 02/25/08
  • Certification results - Sequoia - 02/25/08

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    Public testimony - Feb 21, 2008 certification hearing

    Harvie Branscomb - Combined Supplementqal submission

    Al Kolwicz - Planned Testimony

    Al Kolwicz - HART Supplemental submission

    Al Kolwicz - General Supplemental submission

    Wheeler, Trigg, Kennedy LLP - Combined submission

     

    Retest reports: 

     

    • ES&S Major Deficiencies Report (retest)

    • Sequoia Major Deficiencies Report (retest)
    • Hart Major Deficiencies Report (retest)

      • Stray marks data HART system 6.2.1(13MB) 

      HB08-1155 Signed by Governor

       

      CRS 1-5-622 Assigns extraordinary powers to the Secretary of State to permit use of decertified voting equipment.  THIS SECTION IS REPEALED, EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2009.

       

      We are very thankful that the legislature included language that sunsets the bill in 2009.  This will limit the potential damage done by this bill.  It is sad to see a bill designed to override Colorado law and professional judgment.  We hope that the Secretary of State will include the public, including our Colorado Voter Group experts, in the extraordinary process authorized by this bill.  

       

      Feb. 12, 2006 - The Rocky Mountain News reported, "Coffman said he expects to announce by Feb. 22 the results of new testing and reviews of electronic voting equipment that he decertified in December because of security and accuracy flaws. "

       

      Colordo Voter Group filed a series of questions and a request to participate in Feb. 22 effort.

       

      SOS publishes "sham" hearing procedure and schedule.  Plans to silence and ignore the public.  Testing has already been completed.  2 hour hearing Thursday will be dominated by state presentation.

       

       

       

      Click to read Certification Correspondence

       

      Preliminary county by county impact assessment of voting equipment decertification.

      Colorado has decertified:

      • HART Optical Scan
      • Sequoia DREs
      • ES&S Optical Scan and DREs 

      Testing was limited.  No tests for transparency, verifiability, auditability.  More than half of installed machine types (4,600 units) were not tested.

       

      See extensive certification results by vendor on the Colorado SOS website.