Colorado county clerks voice rare opposition to Kent Thiry's election overhaul proposal
In a rare move, Colorado's county clerks expressed a shared concern over a ballot initiative that, if passed in 2024, would dramatically change the state's elections.
The proposed ballot initiative, concerning the conduct of elections, is currently making its way through the initiative process. The proposal was offered by Kent Thiry, the former CEO of Denver-based dialysis giant DaVita. It would make multiple changes to Colorado ballots including the addition of ranked-choice voting for certain candidates, change the way that candidates can win a spot on the ballot, and require a specific deadline for county clerks to finish counting votes.
Carly Koppes, Weld County clerk and recorder, stated that although county clerks typically make it a practice to stay neutral on issues and candidates that may be on the ballots they ultimately provide voters, this particular initiative could damage Colorado's existing election system, often lauded for its accessibility and security.
"Colorado has worked hard to put together an election system that serves as a national model for how to hold safe and secure elections while also making sure that every voter who wants to vote can do so," Koppes said.
"We can’t stand by while someone recklessly attempts to upend that system.”
Concerns expressed in a news release from the Colorado County Clerks Association include the initiative’s requirement of completed vote counts by 11:59 p.m. on Election Day. Currently, Colorado allows all voters to cure issues with their ballot up to eight days following each election. The state also allows the same window for receiving and counting ballots from military members serving overseas.
In recent years, it's been a practice for some Colorado counties to stop counting votes on Election Night and resume the count the next day in order to allow election workers to rest or avoid poor road conditions during times of inclement weather.
Another concern expressed by the clerks is a provision that would require ranked-choice voting, but only for elected officials serving at the state government level. The provision states that the four candidates who receive the greatest number of votes in the primary election would advance to the general election. Then, at the general election, the ballots would be redesigned so that voters could rank candidates in order of preference.
Chaffee County Clerk Lori Mitchell expressed concern that the increased complexity of voting would cause numerous potential voters to opt out of voting altogether or lead to an increase of voter errors that could disqualify ballots.
“We are heading into our third tough year of election deniers," Mitchell said.
"At a time when we must again shore up trust in our system, why would we want to implement a complicated change to nearly every aspect of how we run elections today and change our Constitution? Particularly, when the change is not in response to an actual problem,” Mitchell said.
Thiry's Spokesman Curtis Hubbard disputed the clerks' concerns by stating that the 11:59 p.m. election night deadline will only be required when practical, but that it would allow clerks to process ballots sooner.
"The deadlines would also require the general assembly to provide more resources to the county clerks, so the idea is that it would be to their benefit," Hubbard said.
Thiry added that, even in a state that does elections well, political insiders still have too much power over which candidates appear on the ballot and which candidates control power in the state.
"Elections should belong to the people, not a few insiders,” Thiry said.
Should the initiative make the 2024 ballot, it would go into effect Jan. 1, 2026.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado county clerks voice opposition to election overhaul proposal
