Under the gun to meet tight election-day deadlines, the Secretary of State’s office certified a kind of voting machine for Jefferson and Mesa Counties that does not meet state requirements.
The information comes from the deposition of John Gardner – the man appointed by Gigi Dennis as an expert and charged with certifying the machines.
But Gardner testified he is not an expert in the areas required by state law. He also admitted that the Secretary of State’s office was under pressure to certify the voting machines because counties had already purchased them.
Democratic candidate for Secretary of State and state Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon issued a release today criticizing Dennis.
“I call on Secretary Dennis to immediately hire competent staff and perform adequate and thorough testing, as the law requires her to do,” Gordon said in the release. “There must be a competent examination of these computerized voting machines before the election. There are critical decisions for Colorado to make this November. We cannot have trust in the results on election night if serious doubts surround our computerized voting machines.”
The Secretary of State’s office could not immediately comment.
Gardner’s testimony comes in preparation for trial in a lawsuit seeking to block the use of electronic voting machines in November election. The so-called Direct Recording Electronic Machines have come under fire across the country since becoming a popular choice among clerk and recorders to meet federal Help America Vote Act requirements.
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 303-954-1657 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
