Denver all-mail voting sought this fall [View All]

[Robb]

The City Council's president says state and federal rules for voting machines have created chaos with election planning this year. The request would require legislative approval.

DENVER - Denver City Council President Rosemary Rodriguez is calling for Denver to switch to an all mail-ballot election this year to avoid chaos created by federal and state voting regulations.

A mail-ballot election in a year with major state and national races would be a "radical" departure from voting statutes, said Rodriguez, a former clerk and recorder. But the city is in a bind.

New federal and state regulations for voting machines have created a crushing environment, Rodriguez said, and delayed the purchase of new machines. Rather than make hasty decisions on a short timeline, she sent a letter to the Denver Election Commission recommending it seek a one-year exemption from the legislature or the Department of Justice "so that we might have a brief respite from the intense regulation of federal and state law in order to make decisions that comply with both for the future."

"We want to be in compliance" with voting machine regulations, she wrote, "but we also want to know what compliance is."

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