DENVER-
Routt County was added to a state election watch list Wednesday because of long lines at polling places last November that may have caused some voters to give up, Secretary of State Mike Coffman said.
Routt joins Denver, Pueblo, Douglas and Montrose on the list of counties where Coffman will send monitors to help election officials iron out problems including unverified signatures and security lapses along with long lines.
Coffman said Routt County officials underestimated the number of electronic voting machines they needed, although they met the state’s minimum requirement.
He said Routt County Clerk Kay Weinland had taken steps to resolve the problem.
“However, the fact remains that voters had to wait in lines for up to four hours. That is unacceptable and warrants inclusion on the watch list,” he said.
Weinland did not immediately return a call.
