Adams County bans federal election observers from polling sites

Election monitors from the U.S. Department of Justice will be prohibited from entering Adams County polling centers on Election Day next week. Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced the decision on Thursday after federal officials refused to adhere to new state restrictions on their activities.

The restrictions require Justice Department observers to communicate only with the presiding election official at a voter center. They must remain quiet, take notes in a specific area designated by that official, and refrain from recording photos, video, or audio. The office of Griswold sent these terms to Jake Bachand, a regional coordinator for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

Under the new rules, federal observers must be accompanied by monitors appointed by the Colorado Secretary of State's office. Additionally, they must not have any prior convictions for election offenses or conspiracy to overthrow the government. A letter from Griswold's office stated that federal personnel would not access areas unavailable to voters, speak to voters inside the polling place, or touch voting equipment or poll books.

Griswold stated that because the Justice Department declined to accept these parameters, its personnel will not be allowed within a 100-foot radius of Adams County voter centers. The federal agency first announced its intent to deploy observers to the county last week. Part of Adams County lies within the contested 8th Congressional District, where Democrat Manny Rutinel is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans.

Bachand wrote to Adams County Clerk Josh Zygielbaum on Oct. 20 that the monitors would only observe and not intrude on the voting process. He described the monitoring as a routine measure to ensure compliance with federal election laws, including language assistance provisions. Local officials expressed concern that the federal presence aimed to intimidate Latino voters in the battleground race.

Griswold said her office takes any suggestion of voter intimidation seriously and will act accordingly. Aly Belknap, executive director of Colorado Common Cause and a member of the Just Vote Colorado steering committee, argued that the Justice Department's rejection of the state's restrictions suggests a desire to block eligible Coloradans from voting. Belknap told the Justice Department and other groups to keep their hands off the vote.

Just Vote Colorado will station nonpartisan volunteers in yellow shirts outside all Adams County polling places to answer voter questions. Zygielbaum said that had the federal observers agreed to the state's parameters, they would have seen elections that prioritize access and security. He stated that election workers in his office are ready to assist voters on Tuesday.