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Human error a concern if ballots counted by hand LONGMONT — The city could count
the Jan. 29 special election ballots by hand, but human error is more
of a concern than using decertified ballot machines, city clerk Valeria
Skitt says.
Skitt hopes to have Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall make a
presentation to the Longmont City Council before using the county’s
decertified machines to tally results in the special election.
“If council feels they’ll get a more accurate count from a hand
count, we can do that,” Skitt said Thursday. “I’m comfortable ... using
the same equipment we used in November, when it was certified — the
same equipment that we’ve used for years.”
The city is contracting with the Boulder County Clerk’s Office to
prepare and count ballots in the special election, Skitt said.
But Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman last week decertified
the electronic optical-scanner system the county uses to process paper
ballots.
Coffman said tests of a software component showed the Hart
InterCivic system failed to count paper ballots accurately.
Hall, however, said last week that Coffman’s decision would only bar
the affected Hart She said the county’s machines can and will be used in Longmont’s
municipal election, and the county will be able to count the ballots
using Hart equipment and software.
Skitt said hand counts take time and labor and leave more room for
error.
“Human error factor is much greater than folks realize,” she said.
But Paul Tiger, a Longmont resident and Libertarian, said the city
will open itself up to lawsuits and recounts if it uses decertified
equipment.
He contacted city officials last week and urged them to let people
tally the results.
Tiger said several studies show that counting ballots by hand is
more reliable than machine counts.
“We contracted with the county to perform an election,” he said.
“The results are not certifiable if the election is conducted on
decertified equipment.”
Skitt hopes to have Hall speak to the City Council on Jan. 22,
although that presentation has not been scheduled.
Rachel Carter can be reached at 303-684-5216 or
rcarter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx --
Paul Tiger 303.774.6383 Home 720.323.0570 Cell 303.651.7919 Business A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction. |