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RE: freedom to run our own election?
If "the Swiss Voting Method is the best that we've seen," then we shouldn't accept that "the time for this change to the Swiss Voting Method has passed."
A more efficient, cheaper, verifiable, transparent and almost certainly more accurate election system should not be rejected just because, once again, government officials made premature, ill-informed decisions.
I am amazed at the this whole 2-year saga -- throughout, volunteers like Joe and Al and Neal and Paul and so on and on keep providing better solutions to election problems that the professionals ignore or reject.
I think Paul T. is saying Boulder (city and county) will continue using the Hart InterCivic system no matter how crummy it is because Boulder County already shelled out $1-2 million for it, precisely the problem CVV recommended avoiding by leasing a system to allow more time to explore other, better options.
kell
Paul Tiger - LPBC - Outreach <LPBC-O@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I personally think that the Swiss Voting Method is the best thing that we've
seen and would like to see it used. The upcoming special election in COB
would be a great example for all election jurisdictions, but I believe that
we won't be able to make that happen. The time for this change to the Swiss
Voting Method has passed - IMHO.
Paul Tiger
-----Original Message-----
From: Neal McBurnett [mailto:neal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 9:51 AM
To: Paul Tiger - LPBC - Outreach
Cc: Cvv-Discuss@Coloradovoter. Net
Subject: freedom to run our own election?
On Thu, Jan 06, 2005 at 11:51:13AM -0700, Paul Tiger - LPBC - Outreach
wrote:
> All that keeps Boulder or anywhere else in CO from using the very cheap
and
> transparent Swiss Voting Method is Donetta Davidson.
I've seen no evidence that the
City has to cede any authority at all
to the Secretary of State. Note that this is a municipal election and
that Boulder is a "Home Rule" municipality, and that this election is
not part of a coordinated election. There are lots of open questions
in my mind, but I am encouraged by this quote from the Colorado
Revised Statutes:
ARTICLE 1
ELECTIONS GENERALLY
PART 1 DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL PROVISIONS
1-1-102. Applicability.
(1) This code applies to all general, primary, congressional vacancy,
school district, special district, ballot issue, and other authorized
elections unless otherwise provided by this code. This code applies to
any municipal election conducted as part of a coordinated election
except to the extent that this code conflicts with a specific charter
provision. Any municipality may provide by ordinance or resolution
that it will utilize the requirements and procedures of this code in
lieu of the "Colorado
Municipal Election Code of 1965", article 10 of
title 31, C.R.S., with respect to any election.
It may well be that Boulder has adopted this code for its own use, but
that could presumably be changed. It is the case that the city
council voted recently to contract with the County Clerk to coordinate
the election, and that probably puts further constraints on how it is
run, including potential oversight from the Secretary of State.
Is anyone aware of any other applicable law? If not, it seems to me
that, thank goodness, Boulder _could_ choose its own path without
requiring the approval of the clerk, county or state.
Whether there is time before March, and whether it would be worth the
costs of setting up our own elections division, are different matters.
Neal McBurnett http://bcn.boulder.co.us/~neal/
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