As Colorado county clerks face intense skepticism, The Gazette asked the three local candidates for El Paso County clerk and recorder to answer three questions about election security. 

Steve Schleiker, the current county assessor, is running against businessman Peter Lupia in the Republican primary. Lisa Wilkes, who served on the states redistricting commission, is the Democrat in the race. 

The Gazette: How would you protect access to the ballot in El Paso County?

Schleiker: The right to vote is a cornerstone of our democracy and must be protected. Every citizen of El Paso County, who is an eligible voter, deserves an equal opportunity to elect their representatives and weigh in on the issues that matter most to them. How would I provide access to the ballot? Support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America and the state of Colorado. Further, uphold our current laws from the federal, state and local levels to guarantee every eligible citizen exercises his or her right to vote. The oaths I took as a United States Marine and as our elected county assessor to exercise the duties of my offices to the best of my ability are fundamental to my values and I take them seriously. They will always be at the forefront of my mind as I navigate the role of clerk and recorder.

The Gazette: Do you have concerns about the environment county clerks in Colorado are working in?

Schleiker: In short, I have no concern. Over the past eight years, my public service record as assessor is well known and always on the table. I have shown that I don’t work for the Denver-Boulder elite; I work for the citizens of El Paso County, who pay my salary. I have worked with our legislature and testified numerous times at the legislature in my fight against those state elected leaders and lobbyists who continually try to violate our private property rights, remove or bypass our (Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights) amendment, elect to not fund our senior and disabled veteran property tax exemption programs, and propose to increase property taxes on those who lost their home in a natural disaster. Providing experience, leadership, knowledge and commitment and doing the right thing on behalf of the voters of El Paso County, one should not worry at all.

The Gazette: How would you ensure voters have confidence in the election process locally?

Schleiker: Voting is an American principle and a basic democratic right that should be protected, promoted and practiced. There are three ways I intend to gain citizens’ trust: First, provide our citizens more tools and platforms they need to be empowered. By opening data and being even more transparent, the Clerk’s Office can give citizens even more tools to monitor performance (and) results, and hold their elected leader accountable and ask for better services. If you want the citizens to have trust in you, making these tools accessible is the start. Second, lock in open government for the long haul. I believe in and am a proponent of smaller government and less regulation; however, for transparency purposes I will continually push for local and statewide government election transparency laws. Strong election laws will prevent future administrations in our local government offices, including clerk and recorder, from rolling back open government reforms. Third, build relationships. As your clerk and recorder, I will collaborate with all to win back citizens’ trust. Embracing partnerships and strengthening collective decision-making is key to driving successful open reforms.

The Gazette: How would you ensure voters have confidence in the election process locally?

Lupia: First, have voters cast their ballot in person, on election day, with a legally issued ID, at a precinct level polling place, exactly as we did prior to mail-in balloting starting in 2013. Next, offer the accountability and transparency of recognized neighbors serving as election judges and volunteers for hand-counting ballots in local precincts on election day. Then publicly accumulating, counting and reporting those results from the Clerk and Recorder’s Office, exactly as we did prior to other electronic methods and Dominion machines introduced in 2016. Then, we ensure that state and federal election/ballot recording and storage laws, not the contradictory and illegal rules and orders from the secretary of state, are strictly followed with full disclosure. Finally, transparently conducted full audits, forensic if necessary, need to be a regular practice for ensuring confidence and security. Partial “risk limited audits” directed by the secretary of state are not enough.

The Gazette: Do you have concerns about the environment county clerks in Colorado are working in?

Lupia: The environment county clerks are currently working in is a very threatening one. Clerks who choose to follow state and federal laws regarding the maintenance and record keeping of ballots and election results are being pursued via criminal complaints for nothing more than doing their jobs. The fact that clerks are forbidden by the secretary of state from forensically auditing questionable findings within their jurisdiction is unacceptable. Clerks are being forced into submission to follow unlawful rules and orders or are otherwise threatened if they refuse to submit. If this were an isolated incident involving one rogue clerk, it would be of less concern. But a pattern of pursuing clerks and further limiting all clerks’ abilities to do their elected jobs continues to spread across the state, with additional unlawful rules and orders being proclaimed in an attempt to place more restrictions on clerks working to fulfill their sworn duty.

The Gazette: How would you protect access to the ballot in El Paso County?

Lupia: Under current state law all eligible voters receive a ballot via USPS 18 to 22 days prior to both the primary and general elections, thus giving every registered voter access to a ballot. For integrity in casting that ballot I am a proponent of having voters cast their ballot in person, with a legally issued ID, at a qualified polling place, just as we did prior to mail-in balloting beginning in 2013. Polling places should be precinct level locations, open only on election day, where hand-counting of ballots occurs as it did prior to other electronic tabulation methods and Dominion voting machines introduced in 2016. Voting in person, with ID, on election day, with hand-counted results has been tried and true for centuries, yielding election night results in a timely manner. Voters regularly tell me they are willing to forego the convenience of mail-in ballots for the security of their vote and elections.

The Gazette: How would you ensure voters have confidence in the election process locally? 

Wilkes: Other countries have tried to meddle in our voting system, mostly by spreading disinformation about the security of mail-in voting. There are investigations and audit processes regularly to prove that the infrastructure we use to vote is secure and there is no ability to change results. Fraud rarely happens, and when it does, it is prosecuted fully. Fraud is a constant possibility that the Elections Department will continue to monitor for emphatically, which is why we have so many safeguards to protect the integrity of the vote. But with so much whispering about stolen elections it can be confusing to trust the system. My suggestion would be that if someone wants to see the high level of security firsthand, they could become an election judge and see the process for themselves. You can participate in our system and see the levels of security around all portions of the process.  

The Gazette: Do you have concerns about the environment county clerks in Colorado are working in?  

Wilkes: Elections are important to El Paso County citizens, and one of the most important and scrutinized departments the clerk oversees. Especially around election time! As a commissioner on the Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission, I am extremely comfortable with having my work publicly scrutinized and evaluated. I am proud that the commission’s final plan has passed the public review by the Colorado Supreme Court and was approved with no issues. Clerks are beholden to the people they serve; they are not lawmakers, but they must uphold the laws as servants of their constituents. Everything they do in their positions can and should be thoroughly examined. The clerks then give all their information to the secretary of state, who oversees their work. This process of checks and balances ensures that the vote is transparent and accessible, and clearly represents the voice of the El Paso County electorate. 

The Gazette: How would you protect access to voting in El Paso County? 

Wilkes: Currently the state of Colorado has a mail-in ballot system, and that is controlled at a level above the clerk. The clerk has no ability to make or change laws but is legally obligated to uphold the current laws around elections. The mail-in ballot is a safe and secure way to vote, that gives you additional time to think about your votes, and research if you choose to! We also have in-person voting sites should you prefer that. In Colorado you can register to vote even on election day! What we can do to ensure access for more citizens is to provide more in-person voting sites and more ballot drop locations so that voting is more accessible for all our eligible constituents.