State asks 10 counties for manual vote recount

November 16, 2005

By DANIE HARRELSON

The Daily Sentinel

Ten counties in Colorado are racing the clock to get their Nov. 1 election results to the state on time.

Colorado Secretary of State Gigi Dennis on Wednesday asked the counties to recount their mail-in ballots by hand after a post-election audit raised questions about the accuracy of machine tallies.

She said she ordered the manual recount to ?ensure the integrity and accuracy of the election.?

County clerks have until Friday to submit election results to the Secretary of the State?s Office.

Dennis, who stopped Wednesday in Grand Junction to address a statewide gathering of municipal clerks and financial officers, said she didn?t expect the last-minute recount would prevent clerks in Pueblo, Sedgwick, Park, Huerfano, Fremont, Elbert, Custer, Clear Creek, Chaffee and Bent counties from making the deadline.

Colorado law requires county clerks to conduct post-election audits, which indicated a particular make of electronic vote-counting equipment failed to read mail-in ballots.

Mesa County Clerk Janice Ward said she knew of no Western Slope counties reporting such discrepancies.

Dennis said she didn?t foresee the new tally changing the statewide vote on Referendums C and D. The recount could affect the results of local elections, she added.

Dennis gave Mesa County voters kudos Wednesday for strong participation in the Nov. 1 election.

Voters in Mesa County, one of 35 counties in the state that held a mail-in ballot election, posted a 57 percent turnout.

Of the 35 counties that conducted mail-in ballot elections, Dennis said, 25 counties posted a 50 percent or better turnout.

Dennis succeeded Donetta Davidson as secretary of state this fall, following Davidson?s appointment as commissioner with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Dennis previously served as the state director in charge of rural development in Colorado for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Dennis has not ruled out running for the seat in 2006, but she wouldn?t confirm plans to pursue the post next year. She said she expects to make a decision in the near future.