Colorado Secretary of State Donetta Davidson, who came under scrutiny for problems in the last presidential election, is a candidate for a federal election standards commission seat, Davidson’s office confirmed Thursday.
Davidson, secretary of state since 1999, is being considered for one of four seats on the federally appointed Election Assistance Commission. The panel oversees the adoption of election standards in the Help America Vote Act.
“She’s in the very preliminary stages of the appointment process,” said Dana Williams, a spokeswoman in Davidson’s office. “She is being considered with other candidates.”
Davidson does not know how soon a decision will be made, Williams said. If Davidson is appointed to the post, Gov. Bill Owens will appoint her replacement in Colorado.
Davidson, a Republican, served as clerk and recorder in Arapahoe County before Owens appointed her in 1999 to replace Vikki Buckley, who died in office. Voters have returned her to office twice.
In November, Davidson came under scrutiny amid flaws in the election process. Among them: 6,000 felons were listed on voting rolls and up to 3,700 people were registered to vote in more than one county. Those troubles came amid heavy voter turnout.
Denver City Councilwoman Rosemary Rodriguez, a former city clerk, said many complications in the November election stemmed from the constantly changing requirements of the Help America Vote Act.
“I know that this November election was rough, but it was because of federal issues,” Rodriguez said. “If we had (Davidson) there on the EAC, we’d probably have a clearer line of communication” with federal election overseers.
Owens called Davidson “an outstanding person for that commission, just as I considered her outstanding when I appointed her secretary of state.”
After the November difficulties, Davidson helped lead a task force that made a series of recommended improvements, including getting rid of commissions for people who get paid according to the number of voters they register and more consistent statewide handling of absentee votes.
Staff writer Mark Couch and The Associated Press contributed to this report.