Coffman blasts Montrose official over election failures
By Ellen Miller, Special to the Rocky
February 28, 2007

Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman issued a scathing report Tuesday, concluding that failures of the Montrose County clerk and recorder in the November election amounted to law violations.

Coffman found that voting system testing wasn't done, a security plan wasn't submitted and voting equipment and election records weren't secured.

The failures, which led to long lines on Election Day, were laid at the feet of the county elections supervisor who worked for then- Clerk and Recorder Carol Kruse.

The elections supervisor was the only one who understood all election records and procedures and was "incredibly disorganized" in maintaining records, the report says.

"This makes documentation retrieval nearly impossible in her absence and allows for potentially fraudulent problems to easily occur," the report says.

At the same time, investigators from the secretary of state's office found no evidence of fraud or tampering so Kruse, who retired last month, and her staff committed no crime, according to Coffman's spokesman, Jonathan Tee.

"While there are violations, there are no penalties in the election law," Tee said.

But the report says the secretary of state will monitor Montrose County through upcoming elections and that if the same problems recur, "the Secretary has the ability to seek judicial authority . . . to take over control of future elections."

None of the county's election races was close enough to force a recount.

The report makes recommendations for staffing and additional training, which newly elected Clerk Fran Tipton Long said are being implemented despite the county's shortage of funds.

"Obviously we'll go over budget, but there is no choice. This is not optional," she said.

The elections supervisor who bore the brunt of the criticism, Debbie Ruby, remains on the payroll but, Long said, "It's under review. We're closely examining the report and gathering more information." Ruby could not be reached for comment.

A security plan was required from all counties. Montrose submitted one, but it was deemed inadequate by the secretary of state's staff. The county was notified Oct. 20 to finish the plan.

Despite repeated notices from state election officials, the plan was not submitted until this month, after Long took office.

"It is important to note that the secretary did not find any evidence that these violations undermined the security or integrity of the 2006 election in Montrose," the report says. "However, the fact the outcome of the elections was not jeopardized does not diminish the need to correct these problems."

Election violations

The secretary of state found the following faults with Montrose County's handling of the November election.

• Errors in the programming of voting machines.

• Failure to test voting machines before early voting. This meant workers didn't discover until early voting began that some voting machines had not been reset since the primary.

• Failure to file a security plan ordered by a judge the month before.

• Failure to secure voting equipment and election records as required by law.

• Inconsistencies in the recording of voter information in the pollbook used to track who has voted.

• Signature cards unaccounted for from early voting and Election Day.

• Only one person understood all election records and procedures.

• No evidence of fraud or criminal misconduct.