Colorado’s new, centralized voter registration database will get a test drive over the next two weeks as county clerks put it through a mock election.
The exercise, which kicked off Monday, will simulate all aspects of the voting process for clerks statewide, just short of counting ballots, said Secretary of State Mike Coffman. The idea is to put as much stress as possible on the new State of Colorado Registration and Election system, or SCORE, and to discover problems in time to fix them for the August primaries.
“That is the reason to actually conduct this mock election, so we can identify the bumps,” said Trevor Timmons, SCORE’s project director.
SCORE, which manages the state’s massive voter-registration database, will be used to check in voters at the polls, confirm their eligibility and make sure they get the right ballot. Previously, counties kept separate databases, but the federal Help America Vote Act mandated a centralized system. The system is not used to count votes.
SCORE has seen its share of bumps in development. After problems with the firm initially hired to create it, the state switched to a new contractor, making SCORE two years late from the state’s initial estimate.
SCORE’s developer, Saber Corp. of Portland, Ore., has designed similar databases for other states, including New York. Several county clerks, some of whom tested SCORE during last year’s elections, say they have confidence in the system.
“I’m here to tell everyone that the election this year will be just fine,” said El Paso County Clerk Bob Balink.
Voter activists have questioned whether the system will be able to handle the crush. Al Kolwicz, with the Colorado Voter Group, said the system is too new to be depended upon for a major election that is only months away. He said that officials’ assurances are unfounded.
“That’s gibberish aimed at creating confidence,” Kolwicz said. “Does this sound like a proven application, or does this sound like something we’re trying to prove?”
But SCORE has recently won over some critics. Larimer County Clerk Scott Doyle, who had been skeptical, said Monday he is cautiously optimistic, as pieces of the system come together.
“I guess this next couple of weeks will really tell,” Doyle said. “But I have a confidence level now that things are looking up.”
John Ingold: 303-954-1068 or jingold@denverpost.com
