Everyone I know is sick of the 2014 elections — the malevolent ads, conflicting polls and scorched-earth Twitter attacks.
But thankfully it’s all over on Tuesday, right?
Maybe not. If any key contests are close, a whole new troupe of actors will get involved in the drama.
Enter the lawyers.
Ever since Bush vs. Gore in 2000, both parties have learned to appreciate the importance of having legal closers warming up in case of elections challenges.
In Colorado this year, the confluence of three possibly close races and broad changes in elections laws have put a new edge on the game.
“Both sides are going to be prepared to go to court if they see something inappropriate,” said Richard Westfall, a Denver lawyer for the GOP effort.
Westfall said pressure points to watch include making sure residency requirements are met and ensuring solid verification of mail ballot signatures.
A 2013 elections law instituted an all-mail ballot and same-day voter registration, to the angst of some who believe both could lead to fraud.
Of course, the Democrats also are at the ready. The contest between U.S. Sen. Mark Udall and his GOP challenger, Cory Gardner, is among those that could go under the legal microscope.
“It looks like we have a close race and we’re making sure we get our ducks in a row,” said Martha Tierney, a Denver lawyer organizing Democratic efforts.
The lawyers are operating from a script that has its roots in the frenetic days in Florida 14 years ago. The closeness of the 2000 presidential election made it clear that both parties need a post-election game plan.
As a reporter in Florida during the Bush vs. Gore recount, I saw it unfold. For weeks, I went from one courthouse to another to report on challenges and saw lawyers parachuting in from around the country.
In many small, old Florida towns, these political combatants, wearing shiny shoes and determined looks, were hard to miss.
And while “hanging chads” are still the punch line to many a joke, there was actually a lot of fighting over the validity of other votes, such as military ballots and .
Fundamentally, Florida was unprepared for a race that was so close and so high-stakes. I remember how some of the election supervisors were in having to deal with the intensity of the challenges and the crush of attention.
We all were. Now, it seems everyone is battle ready.
On Monday, Republicans filed a lawsuit against the Boulder County clerk over what they called an obstructionist approach to poll watchers trying to verify signatures.
Donetta Davidson, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, said she suspects there will be a hearing over another recent incident involving an observer of voting at an Adams County nursing home.
The woman, Davidson said, was trying to take video of election judges — one from each party — who were helping disabled nursing home residents cast ballots.
Davidson, hired by the Adams clerk to supervise some operations, said video recording would violate voters’ privacy.
“You can’t record somebody voting,” said Davidson, a former Colorado secretary of state.
The woman was asked to leave and was not happy about it.
Surely this is just the beginning.
If the races for governor, the 6th Congressional District or the U.S. Senate are really close, it could come down to a battle over the validity of individual provisional ballots. And that’s a process that could take 10-12 days.
So be prepared for election overtime. While the ads may go away, the ugly won’t.
E-mail Alicia Caldwell at acaldwell@denverpost.com or follow her on Twitter: @AliciaMCaldwell
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