Election Officials Must Verify

October 21, 2020 Lost Creek Guide Page 11

Colorado election officials must verify a voter’s signature to count a ballot. Here’s how it works. For the 2020 election, Colorado voters statewide can correct ballots rejected for signature discrepancies through through their mobile phones

Sandra Fish, Special to The Colorado Sun and offering them an attempt to “cure” the problem.

Perhaps your signature is picture-perfect cursive letters. Or maybe it’s a messy scrawl. This year, voters will be able to cure their signatures directly through their phones under

Either way, you may be wondering: How do Colorado election officials verify that the a program announced this week. If you get a notice that your signature has been rejected, signature on your ballot envelope is actually yours? you may text the word “Colorado” to 2VOTE (28638).

Colorado election officials begin mailing ballots to registered active voters Friday and Then follow these steps: voters should receive them in the next week. Click on the link you receive in reply.

When completing mail ballots, one of the most often-asked questions involves the re- Enter the voter ID number on the notice you receive. quired signature Affirm you returned your ballot. on the envelope. Sign an affidavit with your finger. It’s what county Take a photo of your ID and submit it. election officials But voters also may go to a voting center and present an ID to correct their signature use to determine issues. whether it counts “Arapahoe has been using the mobile curing for a while now,” Perl said. “Voters really or gets rejected. like it.” To get a sense of If you don’t cure your ballot? It doesn’t count. how it works, we “We keep the physical ballot on the shelf” in Arapahoe County, Perl said. “We don’t talked to some open the envelope. If they never send back that cure letter, we never open that envelope. county clerks It just goes to election records.” and the Secretary This story was produced with support from a grant from the American Press Institute.” of State’s Office about the process for signature verification. In short: The signatures re-

Mark Songer, a forensic document examiner from Robson Forensic, quired on the leads a training for a group of future election judges on signature outside of the verification at the Denver Elections Division headquarters Oct. 7, 2020 envelope used to in Denver. (Kathryn Scott, Special to The Colorado Sun) return your mail ballot confirm that the right voter filled out the ballot. They’re matched most often by a bipartisan team of two election judges, and if there’s a problem, the voter has a chance to fix it.

In Colorado, few ballots — less than 1% — are rejected because of signature discrepancies. According to the Secretary of State’s Office, only about 16,000 in the 2016 general election and about 13,000 in the November 2018 contest.

But a Colorado Public Radio investigation found that those whose ballots are rejected are often young voters or voters in counties with higher numbers of non-white voters.

What signature are they using to compare?

Typically, a voter’s signature on a ballot envelope is compared against one the most recent signature state has on file in its database.

If you voted in the June 30 primary, that’s the signature that will be used for comparison. If you recently moved to Colorado and registered to vote when getting a driver’s license, that’s the signature that will be used.

The state stores signatures on official documents that are used for review by local election officials, but they aren’t public, said Betsy Hart, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Jena Griswold.

“For instance, our elections director, who lives in Denver, tells me he has 24 signatures in his file,” Hart wrote in an email.

It’s Time to Vote! Sign up for The Colorado Sun’s pop-up newsletter explaining how elections and mail ballots work in Colorado

Who does the signature comparison and how do they do it?

All counties use a team of two election judges to determine whether a signature should be rejected.

These judges are interviewed and selected from lists provided by the political parties, so a team of one Democrat and one Republican examine the signatures and both must agree in order to reject a ballot.

The Secretary of State’s Office has a 20-page manual on signature verification with illustrations on what to look for. The state and individual counties train election judges on verification before they start work.

A recent New York Times story put Jefferson County’s elections director to the test when it came to signatures, and Cody Swanson was able to identify the fake and real signatures correctly. The judges are taught to look for particular features that may indicate a questionable signature.

Some large counties in Colorado actually use special software connected to their ballot processing machines to make an initial comparison and acceptance of signatures on ballot envelopes. Arapahoe County is among them.

Sarah Bowers, left, attempts to copy a signature on a white board as Stuart Clubb, center, the Denver Elections Division ballot operations coordinator, and Mark Songer, right, a forensic document examiner from Robson Forensic, lead a group of future election judges through a signature verification training course on Oct. 7, 2020 in Denver. (Kathryn Scott, Special to The Colorado Sun)

“It has a camera, that’s what captures the image of the signature,” said Peg Perl, the county’s elections director. “It only accepts (ballot signatures), it never rejects (them). Anything that doesn’t meet that high level of confidence goes to humans.”

And the machine is only used when processing early mail-in ballots, Perl said. Election judges will do all the signature matching Nov. 2 and Election Day, Nov. 3.

Perl said the county has doubled the number of signature verification judges from 30 to 60 this year, with two shifts of workers to allow for social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Delta County also doubled its team of election judges that check signatures to four for the November election. All signatures in the small Western Slope county are reviewed only by the election judges, not by machines.

Deputy Clerk and Elections Director Rene Loy-Maas said less than 1% of ballots end up having signatures questioned. Loy-Maas noted that signature verification isn’t easy: “It is a very intensive manual labor.”

What if a voter’s signature doesn’t match?

In the rare instance that a ballot is rejected because of an unverified signature, there’s still a chance for voters to correct the issue and get their ballots counted.

Elections officials will send a letter by mail, as well as email or text if that information is included in your voter registration, letting voters know that their signature was rejected

Page 12 Lost Creek Guide October 21, 2020

70% Of Lost U.S. Oil Jobs Public Work Sessions for 2021 NEWS RELEASE

May Not Return Anytime Soon Date: 10/13/20 Budget Set for October 20 and 22 By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com WELD COUNTY, CO – The Board of Weld County Commissioners will hold public Contact: Jennifer Finch, 970-336-7203 As much as 70 percent of the more than 100,000 jobs lost in the U.S. oil, gas, and chemicals industries due to the pandemic may not return by the end of 2021, Deloitte said work sessions regarding the 2021 Budget on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, and Thursday, October 22, 2020. The work sessions will be held in the Pawnee Conference Room PUBLIC WORK SESSIONS FOR 2021 BUDGET SET FOR OCTOBER 20 AND 22 in an analysis on Monday. Since the previous oil price crash of 2014, employment in the oil, gas, and chemical at the Weld County Administration Building located at 1150 O Street, Greeley. The discussions will focus on specific program budget impacts for 2021 as well as obtaining WELD COUNTY, CO – The Board of Weld County Commissioners will hold public work sessions regarding the 2021 Budget on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, and Thursday, October 22, 2020. The work sessions will sectors (OG&C) has become much more sensitive to changes in crude oil prices due to the staff comments on proposed budget plans for the upcoming year. Scheduled times are be held in the Pawnee Conference Room at the Weld County Administration Building located at 1150 O short-cycle investment and production in the U.S. shale patch, Deloitte noted. approximate and may vary as the work session discussions proceed. Copies of budget Street, Greeley. The discussions will focus on specific program budget impacts for 2021 as well as “Our multivariate statistical analysis on employment and market data suggests that as much as 70% of jobs lost during the pandemic may not come back by the end of 2021 in documents are available for inspection at the Clerk to the Board’s Office at 1150 O Street. obtaining staff comments on proposed budget plans for the upcoming year. Scheduled times are approximate and may vary as the work session discussions proceed. Copies of budget documents are available for inspection at the Clerk to the Board’s Office at 1150 O Street.a consensus business-as-usual scenario,” Deloitte analysts led by Duane Dickson, US Oil, Gas & Chemicals leader, wrote in the analysis. SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20 SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22

According to Deloitte’s analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the OG&C in- 9:00 a.m.: Overview of 2020 proposed budget 9:00 a.m.: County Attorney dustry laid off about 107,000 workers between March and August 2020, apart from wide- 9:40 a.m.: Communications & 9:05 a.m.: Commissioners spread furloughs and pay cuts. The lay-offs were the fastest in the industry due to the Wireless Communications 9:10 a.m.: Public Information Office economic slowdown and the oil price crash in the COVID-19 pandemic. In a business-as-usual scenario for 2021, with oil prices at $45 a barrel and natural gas 9:50 a.m.: 10:40 a.m.: 10:50 a.m.: Sheriff’s Office Assessor Clerk & Recorder 9:15 a.m.: 9:20 a.m.: 9:30 a.m.: Clerk to the Board Health Department Treasurer, Public Trustee, Finance and prices at $2.5/MMBtu, 70 percent of OG&C jobs lost during the pandemic may not come 11:00 a.m.: Office of Emergency Management Administration, Accounting, Purchasing, back by the end of 2021, Deloitte said. 11:10 a.m.: Extension Service & Fair Human Resources, and other In a pessimistic scenario with oil at $35 per barrel and natural gas at $2/MMBtu, the rate of recovery in jobs would be only 3 percent by the end of 2021, the analysis showed. 11:20 a.m.: 11:35 a.m.: Justice Services, Work Release, Community Corrections Coroner 10:00 a.m.: Administrative department budgets Information Technology, GIS, Criminal Justice Information System and

In the U.S. oilfield services sector, job losses slowed in August, at 2,600 jobs lost, the 11:50 a.m.: County Council Telecom Services latest monthly report of the Petroleum Equipment & Services Association (PESA) showed. 1:30 p.m.: Planning & Building Inspection 10:30 a.m.: Information Technology Projects Still, total job losses due to pandemic-related demand destruction reached 103,420 in Au1:40 p.m.: 1:50 p.m.: Oil and Gas Energy Public Works, Engineering, & 11:15 a.m.: Wrap-up session gust, with oilfield services employment down more than 121,000 jobs since August 2019 Noxious Weeds and at its lowest point since March 2017, according to PESA estimates. 2:15 p.m.: Fleet Services 2:25 p.m.: District Attorney 2:40 p.m.: Community Development Block Grant 3:00 p.m.: Outside agencies (including Upstate Colorado Economic Development, Small Business Development Center, North Front Range Behavioral Health, Envision, Weld Seniors, Promises for Children, 211, Weld’s Way Home) 3:30 p.m.: Bright Futures 3:40 p.m.: Social Services & Human Services 4:00 p.m.: Buildings and Grounds & Veterans Services 4:15 p.m.: Buildings and Grounds – Special Projects

Then. Now. Always. We’re proud to power your life. October is National Co-op Month. #PowerOn

Leading with responsive, innovative and cost effective services. Weld County – Proud to be Debt Free since 2007!Date: 10/13/20 State Veterinarian Confirms First Equine Connect with us of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube Contact: Jennifer Finch, 970West Nile Virus Case of 2020 -336-7203 PUBLIC WORK SESSIONS FOR Broomfield, Colo. - A horse residing in Jefferson County has been diagnosed with West Nile Virus (WNV), marking the first confirmed equine WNV case in 2020.

Vaccines in horses have proven to be a very effective prevention tool for WNV, and WELD COUNTY, CO – The Board of Weld County Commissioners will horses that have been vaccinated in past years do need an annual booster. If a horse has the 2021 Budget on Tuesday, October be held in the Pawnee Conference Room at the not been vaccinated in previous years, it will need the two-shot vaccination series within a three to four week period. In addition to vaccinations, as a preventative measure horse owners should also work Street, Greeley. The discussions will focus on specific program budget impacts for diligently to reduce mosquito populations and their possible breeding areas where horses are located. obtaining staff comments on proposed budget plans for Recommendations include removing stagnant water sources, keeping animals approximate and may vary as the work session discussions proceed. Copies of budget documents are inside during the bugs’ feeding times, which are typically early in the morning and evening, and using mosquito repellents. available for inspection at the Clerk to the Board’s Office at 1150 O Street.

Any time a horse displays clinical signs consistent with neurologic disease, a complete SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER veterinary examination is warranted. All infectious or contagious equine neurologic diseases are reportable to the Colorado State Veterinarian’s Office. 9:00 a.m.: Overview of 2020A comprehensive chart of reportable animal diseases in Colorado can be found on proposed budget 9:40 a.m.: Communications & Wireless Communications the CDA website. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has reported 20 human cases to date in 2020. They have published data on human West Nile cases, as well as positive mosquito pools, available on the 9:50CDPHE WNV website. a.m.: Sheriff’s Office ### 10:40 a.m.: Assessor 10:50 a.m.: Clerk & RecorderThe Colorado Department of Agriculture exists to support the state›s agriculture indus11:00 a.m.: Office of Emergency try and serve the people of Colorado through regulation, advocacy and education. Our mis- Management 11:10 a.m.: Extension Service sion is to strengthen and advance Colorado agriculture, promote a safe and high-quality & Fair 11:20 a.m.: Justice Services, Work Release, Community Corrections food supply, protect consumers, and foster responsible stewardship of the environment and natural resources. colorado.gov/ag 11:35 a.m.: Coroner 11:50 a.m.: County Council 1:30 p.m.: Planning & Building Inspection 1:40 p.m.: Oil and Gas Energy 1:50 p.m.: Public Works, Engineering, Noxious Weeds 2:15 p.m.: Fleet Services 2:25 p.m.: District Attorney 2:40 p.m.: Community Development Block Grant 3:00 p.m.: Outside agencies (including Upstate Colorado Economic Development, Small Business Development Center, North Front Range Behavioral Health, Envision, Seniors, Promises for Children, 211, Weld Way Home) 3:30 p.m.: Bright Futures 3:40 p.m.: Social Services & Human Services 4:00 p.m.: Buildings and Grounds & Veterans Services 4:15 p.m.: Buildings and Grounds –