The panel figuring out what went wrong on election Day in Denver and how to fix it came to an insightful conclusion that could easily be lost in the lengthy chronicling of failed data systems and incompetent management.
The restoration of public trust in the city’s election system, members said, is as important as retooling the mechanics.
It’s an essential truth that should factor in the city’s attempts to establish a single figure to oversee elections.
We’re glad that the high-octane panel probing elections failures and the Denver City Council seem to be on the same page when it comes to the fundamental reform of local elections: an elected clerk and recorder who would appoint an elections director.
That structure has ably served most of the 64 counties in Colorado, and there’s no reason to think it shouldn’t work in Denver.
Currently, the city clerk is appointed by the mayor and occupies one seat on the three-member Denver Election Commission. The commission would go out of business under the reform plan.
Disagreements emerge when it comes to setting a timeline for voters to settle the question. The panel supports a charter change question in a mail-in election next May, and then an election to choose a new clerk in November. And so do we. However, a council committee voted Thursday to advance plans for a special election Jan. 30.
Councilmember Charlie Brown was the deciding vote on the fast-track approach. He said the council ought to “cowboy up” and figure out whether the agency was capable of conducting an election so soon after the November debacle.
Councilmembers left themselves an opening to bail on the idea if they think the beleaguered agency can’t pull off an election so soon. They can make that decision as late as Dec. 26, the date of the last public hearing on the matter.
Forcing a special election in January is an expensive and risky proposition that could easily backfire. If the next election sputters or fails, the loss of public confidence in city elections will be incalculable.
Election review panel members spent many hours poring over elections operations and governance. Most members are convinced a January special election is a disaster waiting to happen. Scott Doyle, a panel member and Larimer County clerk, said the agency’s leadership has been decimated, and the technical issues would be daunting. And it would be expensive. Council President Michael Hancock says a special election would cost $650,000 for an agency that already is $1 million over budget.
The current clerk’s job is open, and Mayor John Hickenlooper plans to make a quick appointment so preparations can begin for the next election, whenever it is. That person probably won’t be in place until January.
The rebuilding of trust in the Denver voting system is just as important as ensuring the right software is used on Election Day. One way to jeopardize that trust is to rush into an election before the staff is ready.
