Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold issued an Election Order appointing an Election Supervisor in Elbert County to ensure the fair and accessible conduct of the upcoming General Election.

The Election Supervisor in Elbert County will monitor decisions made and actions taken related to the administration of the 2022 General Election in that county starting today, October 19. The Supervisor is authorized to monitor the activities of the elections staff of Clerk and Recorder’s Office and is there to help the County meet its duties and obligations under state and federal law. The County Clerk and staff will take any and all lawful direction from the Election Supervisor and any other Secretary of State designee on any and all election matters.

The decision to appoint a Supervisor in Elbert County follows a 2021 election security protocol breach where Republican Clerk Dallas Schroeder violated Colorado Elections Rules by giving unauthorized individuals copies of images of the county’s voting system hard drives. In addition, after the 2022 Primary Election, Elbert County’s Elections Manager notified the Secretary of State’s Office that the Elbert County Clerk’s office discovered dozens of voted ballots which were not verified or counted during the regular counting process. The Department directed the clerk’s staff to count those misplaced ballots during the statewide recount that was then ongoing, and those votes eventually were added to the abstract of the results of the election. If not for the recount, those voters’ ballots could not legally have been counted, and those voters would have been disenfranchised due the Clerk’s error.

Christi Coburn, a professional election administrator, will monitor all decisions made and actions taken in Elbert County related to the administration 2022 General Election.

The Secretary of State’s Office will continue to work closely with all 64 counties to provide the support and oversight needed to carry out the 2022 General Election and protect the right to vote