The article:
Elections officials reported Monday that two men were set up outside an Arapahoe County building in Littleton filming people as they dropped off their ballots in the drop box, and one of the men had a gun in a holster at his side.
The men were standing within 100 feet of the ballot box in Littleton and some voters said they felt intimidated, according to Arapahoe County Elections Director Peg Perl. Police were called to respond to the incident, as first reported by CPR. The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office referred the report to the attorney general’s office for investigation.
The report comes at a time when voters across the nation have expressed concerns about voter intimidation tactics. Colorado elections officials have previously said they haven’t found any evidence of intimidation at polling sites, but they assured voters they take reports seriously. The attorney general did find evidence of voter intimidation at a Fort Morgan mobile home park in October.
Some of voters’ fears were heightened after the president called for his supporters to go watch the polls for potential fraud. The 2020 election sparked more interest from Coloradans in both parties to sign up to become poll watchers. However, in Colorado, there are statutes that regulate who can be an official poll watcher. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said people can’t just show up and go into the polls without going through the state’s protocols, including training.
Poll watchers have to apply through political parties, registered issue committees or unaffiliated candidates, and receive approved training and get certified.
Perl said the two men were not official poll watchers. They did not enter the polling site and weren’t blocking the path to the ballot box, but the filming concerned voters who were returning their ballots. Ultimately, the men left without incident.
Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder George Stern said county elections officials welcome certified poll watchers.
“We know it’s secure, but we want them to feel good about it, too,” he said of the ballot process.
Political parties can each assign one watcher to a voting center at a time during voting, so while the interest has gone up and the number of spots filled has increased, the total number allowed at any given time has not.
“We’ve had a huge amount of people reaching out and wanting to get involved,” said Joe Jackson, spokesman for the Colorado Republican Party.
Morgan Carroll, the Democratic Party chair, said the group has similarly seen larger interest in both poll watchers and election judges. “It’s kind of remarkable that we have had a historic number of applicants for poll watchers and election judges,” Carroll said. “It tells me people are really committed in this election cycle.”
"Elections officials reported Monday that two men were set up outside an Arapahoe County building in Littleton filming people as they dropped off their ballots in the drop box, and one of the men had a gun in a holster at his side.
The men were standing within 100 feet of the ballot box in Littleton and some voters said they felt intimidated, according to Arapahoe County Elections Director Peg Perl. Police were called to respond to the incident, as first reported by CPR. The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office referred the report to the attorney general’s office for investigation.
The report comes at a time when voters across the nation have expressed concerns about voter intimidation tactics. Colorado elections officials have previously said they haven’t found any evidence of intimidation at polling sites, but they assured voters they take reports seriously. The attorney general did find evidence of voter intimidation at a Fort Morgan mobile home park in October.
Some of voters’ fears were heightened after the president called for his supporters to go watch the polls for potential fraud. The 2020 election sparked more interest from Coloradans in both parties to sign up to become poll watchers. However, in Colorado, there are statutes that regulate who can be an official poll watcher. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said people can’t just show up and go into the polls without going through the state’s protocols, including training.
Poll watchers have to apply through political parties, registered issue committees or unaffiliated candidates, and receive approved training and get certified.
Perl said the two men were not official poll watchers. They did not enter the polling site and weren’t blocking the path to the ballot box, but the filming concerned voters who were returning their ballots. Ultimately, the men left without incident.
Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder George Stern said county elections officials welcome certified poll watchers.
“We know it’s secure, but we want them to feel good about it, too,” he said of the ballot process.
Political parties can each assign one watcher to a voting center at a time during voting, so while the interest has gone up and the number of spots filled has increased, the total number allowed at any given time has not.
“We’ve had a huge amount of people reaching out and wanting to get involved,” said Joe Jackson, spokesman for the Colorado Republican Party.
Morgan Carroll, the Democratic Party chair, said the group has similarly seen larger interest in both poll watchers and election judges. “It’s kind of remarkable that we have had a historic number of applicants for poll watchers and election judges,” Carroll said. “It tells me people are really committed in this election cycle.”"
I thought they closed this backdoor after 2016.
At least they'll monitor who uses it.