Attorney General, county clerks warn against violating election laws

DENVER (KDVR) — Ballots are arriving in mailboxes across the state, and ahead of the general election, election officials and now the state’s top prosecutor are reminding voters not to violate election laws.

It’s a message you often hear from your county clerks: keep things safe when you go to vote.
Now, the Colorado Attorney General is reminding you there could be consequences if you violate laws this election season.

“Colorado has the gold standard for elections. We have set up our election system to be safe, secure and to ensure that only those who are authorized are able to vote,” Attorney General Phil Weiser said.

Weiser wants voters to know elections in Colorado are secure.

“I’m terrified at the level of misinformation that’s out there. At the level that some people may think it’s their job to prevent people from voting if they think they shouldn’t be voting. That’s not how it works here in Colorado,” Weiser said. “In Colorado, the Secretary of State’s Office, working with other authorities determines who is eligible. They get a ballot and once you’ve got a right to vote that ballot, whether in-person or if early enough, by mail.”

Some conservative elected officials have encouraged voters to become “citizen observers” this election season. He is reminding people what can and can’t be done under state law here in Colorado.

“The political parties appoint people as poll watchers. Those are certified and they get to oversee the election. The idea of being a citizen watcher isn’t a recognized concept. What every citizen needs to know is that it is illegal to harass and intimidate people near a polling place,” Weiser explained.

In Colorado, voter intimidation is illegal. That means no threatening, harassing or trying to influence voters at the ballot box. If someone wants to campaign for a specific candidate or cause, they need to do so at least 100 feet away from a ballot box or polling center.

In the past, you could conceal carry a firearm at the polls. However, a new law passed this year made that illegal within 100 feet of the polls. You could face a fine of up to $1,000 and just under a year, 364 days, in jail for violating these laws.

“What you need to know is if you break the law and you intimidate someone who is voting, that’s a crime and it can and will be punished. We take these crimes seriously in our office,” Weiser said.

On Thursday, county clerks from across the state held a press conference ahead of ballots going out. Clerks issued reminders about election deadlines and warned against violating election laws like the ones Weiser mentioned as well as election tampering.

In addition to the reminders, they also encouraged voters to be vigilant against emotionally heightened election content on various forms of media. Douglas County also announced they will have 24/7 surveillance video of all their drop boxes available through Election Day. County Clerk Sheri Davis told FOX31 the surveillance cameras were an opportunity for a county to enhance the elections operations, not a means of beating would-be citizen observers to the punch.

“We hear our citizens asking about who is watching them. They have concerns, they want to be able to observe that and we wanted to be as transparent as possible with the ballot drop boxes. They continue to be a topic of conversation,” Davis said Thursday after the clerks’ presser.

With surveillance going up in the midst of a contentious political climate, FOX31 talked to election workers in Douglas County about whether the security cameras make them feel more secure.

“It’s definitely backing us and helping us to do our jobs more sufficiently. Absolutely,” said Kregg Lilly. “Once your ballot goes in one of these boxes, there’s no way it’s going to get tampered with the processes and training we have, processes they go through this is secure,” Ed Brookes said.

Colorado voters have until 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 to turn in their ballots.

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