Colorado Daily: County names citizen election committee

[Doug Grinbergs <saule@xxxxxxxxx>]

Election review committee (compiled from article, sorted by last name):

1 Tom Davidson, Louisville
2 Linda Flack
3 Jay Harbour, Longmont
4 Richard Harris, Boulder
5 Richard Lyons, Longmont (chair)
6 Michael Taylor, Longmont
7 Paul Tiger, Longmont
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http://www.coloradodaily.com/articles/2004/12/09/news/news04.txt
County names citizen election committee
Richard Valenty
Colorado Daily 
2004-12-10

The Board of Boulder County Commissioners appointed a seven-member citizen committee Thursday to investigate problems with the 2004 county election process, but the board emphasized the committee's main objective would not be to assign blame for slow election returns.

"At the end of the day, it's about having our system work better," said Commissioner Tom Mayer.

County Clerk and Recorder Linda Salas submitted three of the seven candidates for approval, while the Commissioners submitted the other four. Both Salas and the Commissioners said political balance was an important concern, and the new committee is made up of three Republicans, three Democrats and one Libertarian.

County election officials say improperly printed general election paper ballots caused part of the delay, since county scanners could not "read" information on the ballots properly. Election officials needed to manually resolve thousands of improperly printed ballots, and the bulk of results from the Nov. 2 election were not released until Nov. 5.

Salas said she chose Michael Taylor, an engineer from Longmont, for the committee in part because he had significant experience with printing and the physical properties of paper.

Salas chose Paul Tiger, a computer programmer from Longmont, because he participated in the 2003-2004 citizen review committee charged with helping Boulder County select a new voting system for the 2004 election. Tiger also worked as a temporary employee for Boulder County during the 2003 mail ballot election and ran for office this year as a County Commissioner. He ran for County Clerk and Recorder in 2002.

Also, Salas selected Jay Harbour from Longmont because he was involved with almost every aspect of the 2004 election, including provisional ballot verification and canvassing, and has computer experience.

Mayer nominated Tom Davidson, former Mayor of Louisville and an electronic engineer, in part because he has experience with voting systems and system maintenance, and also to provide representation from southeast Boulder County.

Commissioner Paul Danish nominated Linda Flack, Boulder County Chief Deputy Clerk and Recorder from 1977 until her retirement in 2002. According to Flack's letter of application, she has been involved in local elections since 1962, and has served as the Recording Clerk of the Colorado House of Representatives.

Commissioner Ron Stewart nominated Richard Lyons, an attorney from Longmont, who has run special district elections and served as an international election observer in Serbia and Montenegro. Also, Stewart suggested Lyons should serve as the chair of the citizen's committee.

Mayer nominated Richard Harris, a physicist with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) from Boulder. Harris is a former member of Boulder's City Council and Planning Board.

The three Commissioners approved all seven nominees unanimously, and approved Lyons as chair. Mayer said the county received roughly 80 applications, many from highly qualified individuals, and thanked all of them.

"It shows how people are focused on serving the public," said Mayer.

Also, Danish nominated Hillary Hall, Boulder County Democratic Party chair, and David Leeds, Boulder County Republican Party chair, to serve as ex-officio members of the committee. Boulder County Attorney Larry Hoyt said the ex-officio designation did not specifically mean members could or could not vote on matters.

Stewart suggested the two party chairs should not be allowed to delegate their committee responsibilities to other members of their respective parties.

Danish then made a motion for Secretary of State Donetta Davidson to be allowed to appoint a non-voting ex-officio member from her office to the committee.

Salas said she did not yet know the budgetary expenses or the timeframe allotted for the new committee's operation.