By Pamela Bacon
Logan County Clerk and Recorder
August 31, 2022
Ensuring the Identity of the Voter a) Identity Verification for Mail Ballot Voting. All returned mail ballots must include the voter’s signature on the outside of the envelope. When the ballot is received, those signatures are compared to signatures stored for each voter in the voter registration database (known as SCORE).
The comparison is done using advanced signature verification software or trained election judges of multiple political affiliations, including Republicans, Democrats, and Unaffiliated voters.
If the comparison finds a match, the ballot is counted. If a signature does not match those on file, it moves to a second level of review, where a bipartisan team of election judges review the signature. The bipartisan team determines whether the signature should be accepted or rejected based on criteria implemented with the Secretary of State’s Signature Verification Guide.
A ballot rejected for a signature discrepancy may be fixed (“cured”) by the voter by returning a signed form and copy of an acceptable identification to the county clerk or using the Txt2Cure mobile phone system.
County clerks are required to send all ballots rejected for signature discrepancy that have not been cured to the local district attorney for investigation.
Identity Verification for Voting In-person. In-person voters must present an acceptable form of ID at the time of voting. Election judges compare that ID to the voter record before allowing the individual to vote. If a voter cannot provide an acceptable form of ID, they are offered a provisional ballot.
Only One Ballot Per Voter is Accepted. Colorado’s statewide voter registration and election management system is a real-time system that tracks whether a voter has already submitted a ballot for counting. Because the system is in real-time, once a ballot has been accepted for any voter in the state, no other ballot for that voter would be accepted by the system.
For instance, if a voter is mailed a ballot but votes in-person instead, the mail ballot is automatically voided and will not be counted. The same is true for voters who move, misplace, or otherwise receive a replacement ballot.
Only one ballot will be counted by the county clerk. A voter who attempts to vote twice in any election is referred by the county clerk to the local district attorney for investigation. If convicted, there are penalties under state and federal law for attempting to vote twice.
Have election questions? Call us we will be happy to explain procedures, rules, or laws.
County Offices will be closed Monday September 5, 2022, in observance of Labor Day.
The Election and Recording Department can be reached at 522-1544 for voter and election questions or recording information. The Motor Vehicle Department can be reached at 522-1158 for license plates/renewals or titling a vehicle. You can also reach our office by email at baconp@logancountyco.gov . Like us on Facebook at Logan County Elections/MotorVehicle/Recording!