Election Day 2006 was a disaster for Denver

• Pollbook software designed by Sequoia Voting Systems failed, causing voters to wait in line at the polls for three hours or more. An estimated 20,000 people walked away without casting a vote.
• Ballot printing and processing problems due to mistakes by Sequoia delayed the count of absentee ballots for more than a week after the election.
• Election officials in Denver failed to plan for preventable problems and glitches. Due to their incompetence, thousands of voters lost confidence in the Denver Election Commission (DEC.)

Now the City is trying to pull a fast one

• City officials including the mayor are using Election Day problems as an excuse to eliminate the DEC and replace it with an Elected Clerk. But their "solution" doesn't address the real problems.
• Fujitsu, a consulting firm hired by the City to study Election Day problems, concluded:

  "While the DEC did commit errors in logistics, planning, and (especially) quality assurance and oversight, these mistakes are by and large easily preventable with additional effort, diligence, and some tactical procedural modifications. While significant factors in 2006, there is no intrinsic reason why these missteps need be repeated in 2007 if practical, prudent steps are taken to prevent them." Click here for more info.

• Instead of taking practical steps, City officials are taking political steps to eliminate Denver's independent election agency. Instead of fixing the problems, they're sweeping them under the rug.

Voters can improve Denver elections already

• The DEC is comprised of two commissioners elected by the people of Denver, and one commissioner appointed by the mayor. The mayoral appointee is also the Clerk and Recorder. This setup gives the people two votes, and City Hall one vote in election-related matters. A majority vote wins.
• The mayor is accountable for mistakes made by Clerk Wayne Vaden during the November 2006 election. Vaden has resigned. The other two commissioners, Sandy Adams and Susan Rogers, are accountable to the people for mistakes. Voters will have a chance to vote them out of office in May 2007.
• Denver voters already have the power to completely change the DEC as early as May by electing competent officials. Therefore, changing the charter to eliminate the DEC is unnecessary; voters can get rid of incompetent commissioners at the ballot box.

An Elected Clerk won't solve our problems

• Sixty-two of the 64 counties in Colorado have an Elected Clerk responsible for elections. However, these counties have had serious voting problems over the last few election cycles. Click here for more info.
• As vote-integrity issues (such as voting machine accuracy and security of voter records) become more pressing, other counties may move toward a model like the DEC, which is comparatively progressive in terms of checks and balances and citizen input regarding elections. The proposed charter change will move Denver backward.

The change will take away public participation

• The DEC holds monthly open meetings where the public is free to comment and ask questions. Meeting minutes regarding controversial decisions (such as this pdf file involving Councilwoman Carol Boigon's appeal to get on the ballot in 2003) are available for public review.
• Under the proposed change, one Elected Clerk will make all decisions. The Elected Clerk will not be required to hold public hearings or stakeholder meetings regarding controversial issues. Thus, the proposed change will eliminate public participation, which will reduce transparency and accountability.
• The proposed change also will reduce diversity. One seat (out of two) on the election commission is the only citywide office consistently won by a candidate who is not a Democrat. Keeping the three-member panel will help to maintain a diversity of political views in Denver's election administration.