It’s troubling that after years and millions of dollars, the state still hasn’t put the finishing touches on a reliable statewide voter database.
The latest glitches were uncovered in a two-week mock election conducted for the Colorado Department of State. The test showed progress in fine-tuning the system, but still revealed greater than expected difficulties in the system’s electronic infrastructure and operations.
Fixes are in the works, and that’s a good thing. And counties are creating backup plans — a smart move.
But time is running out for excuses. The cost of this system is now pegged at almost $13 million and it’s more than two years late in being implemented.
Colorado is shaping up to be a battleground state in the 2008 presidential election, and it is imperative the state have a reliable voter database.
State officials are aiming to have the system ready for the August primary election, said Rich Coolidge, spokesman for the Colorado Secretary of State’s office. Given the latest results, he thinks that’s a realistic goal.
“People are in good spirits here,” he said.
The pressure to convert to a statewide system comes from the Help America Vote Act of 2002. The law provides funding to help states meet new election standards. But if you take the money, you have to follow the rules.
One of those is the creation of a statewide voter registration database. In Colorado, that means the system, known as SCORE, should connect all of the state’s 64 counties into one database so election clerks can check voters’ registration status when they arrive to vote.
Colorado officials have been working on it for years now.
Back in 2005, then-Secretary of State Gigi Dennis fired the contractor putting together the system. At the time, she said the delay would be brief.
The state missed a 2006 deadline for having such a database. The state since has hired a new contractor and more consultants and spent more money to get the thing up and running.
Colorado is among about a half- dozen states nationwide having problems getting its system completed, according to the Pew Center on the States.
We understand that current Secretary of State Mike Coffman inherited the problem when he was elected in 2006. We also understand he has devoted quite a bit of time and energy to straightening it out. The database even has its own detailed website — filled with reports and updates — on the Secretary of State’s site.
But given the time and money expended on this project, Coloradans have a right to expect a fully functioning statewide voter registration base in operation for the August primary.
It’s an important deadline that the secretary’s office must meet. Anything less will be a failure.
