'Very Confident In Upcoming Elections': Colorado's Secretary Of State Talks About Ballot Tracing
WINDSOR, Colo. (CBS4) – Less than a week after successfully petitioning for an injunction with the United States Postal Service, Secretary of State Jena Griswold said Colorado voters should once again gain confidence in the stability of Colorado's election system. The USPS was blocked from mailing out a flyer which might have confused some voters in Colorado.
The flyer, which some voters said they received before the injunction was granted, encouraged voters to request mail-in ballots. It also encouraged Colorado voters to mail in their ballots at least seven days before the election.
For years Coloradans have automatically been mailed ballots without request, and the state has encouraged them to be mailed in no later than eight days before the election to assure they are counted.
"We just don't want bad election information going out to Coloradans," Griswold told CBS4's Dillon Thomas. "Colorado is considered the safest state to cast ballot in. Overall the Colorado election model works."
Thursday, a federal judge also blocked the Post Master General's proposals for changes to the USPS operations. Some feared the changes could slow down services and also scare people away from mailing in their ballots during a pandemic.
Some, including Griswold, accused Pres. Donald Trump of using the postal service to sway the election in their favor. Griswold said she did not believe the mailer was designed to confuse Colorado voters. However, she said she was concerned with how defensive USPS was with not sending it out.
"It may have been well intentioned. It did take me aback when, after alerting the postal service that there was wrong information that they refused to pull the mailer, and they also fought the restraining order," Griswold said.
Fortunately, for Colorado voters, they can now track their ballot from printing to counting. Ballot Trax, a system now offered for all registered voters in the state, allows voters to monitor the status of their ballot throughout the process. Twelve counties used the system before the 2020 election. Denver uses a similar system on a different platform.
"We are in 2020. You can track your Amazon package. I think it is important that you can track your ballot, too," Griswold said. "It adds an extra layer of assurance in a time where there is a lot of falsehoods and misinformation swirling around about elections."
If you would like to register to vote, or want to participate in the Ballot Trax program, visit GoVoteColorado.gov.
While some may have growing concerns over the mail-in ballot system, Griswold said she believed the state is positioned to have its most successful election yet.
"We know how well our elections work in Colorado, and I am very confident in the upcoming elections,' Griswold said.
