With under a month until Election Day, Colorado’s registration rolls include as many as 6,000 felons who should be ineligible to vote, the Denver Post says. Election officials have failed to prevent state prisoners and parolees from registering or casting ballots. Felons have voted as recently as the August primary, despite a law forbidding it. Secretary of State Donetta Davidson said she was unaware of problems until she was asked about a Denver Post comparison of voter registrations to felons currently in the Department of Corrections system. Davidson plans an emergency meeting of clerks from Colorado’s 64 counties to try to keep prisoners and parolees from voting in November.
Some watchdogs wonder why she didn’t notice the felons earlier. “You have to wonder if they’re malicious or inept in the secretary of state’s office,” said Al Kolwicz of Boulder-based Citizens for Accurate Mail Ballot Election Results, or CAMBER. “Every ineligible elector that votes cancels the vote of an eligible elector.” A comparison of state voter rolls and a recent Department of Corrections roster shows 6,006 people on both lists share the same first names, last names and dates of birth. More than 40 percent of the 6,006 are on parole or in community corrections or intensive-supervision programs and conceivably could visit their polling place for the Nov. 2 election. No prisoners have been sent ballots in Adams County. Records show 33 listed their address as 8031 Interstate 76 – the address of Adams Community Corrections.
Link: http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~64~2457832,00.html