Colorado's Katherine Harris Threatens the '08 Election

My home state of Colorado, as anyone following the election campaign knows, is a major presidential battleground state. Both John McCain and Barack Obama have visited the state multiple times, including in recent/coming days. Though a new poll shows Obama taking a commanding 12-point lead, everyone expects both the presidential and U.S. Senate race here to be very close. That's why the Secretary of State Mike Coffman's (R) moves should worry everyone in Colorado and elsewhere. We've got our own Katherine Harris here -- and a careful look at the news suggests he's moving to game this election in a state that could be the Florida of 2008.

I say "careful look" because Coffman's behavior -- while outrageous and potentially election-throwing -- has received coverage mostly in the back pages of local newspapers (and similarly little attention from the national media). But if you bother to dig down, you will see what I'm talking about -- and it's scary.

Here's page 21 of Saturday's Rocky Mountain News:

The story on the left describes Coffman's efforts to invalidate roughly 5,000 registrations (depending on which source you ask). Here's the crux of what's going on:

"5,000 Coloradans whose voter status is in limbo because of [a] controversial check box...The registration form asks for a driver's license or state ID number. If applicants don't have that, they're supposed to check a box and then put down at least the last four digits of their Social Security numbers. But thousands of people didn't check the box. According to a policy adopted last year by Secretary of State Mike Coffman, these applications are supposed to be listed as incomplete...National and local voting-rights organizations criticize Coffman's policy, saying it violates other federal laws. They say Coffman is unfairly putting up barriers for people who are eligible to vote and want him to change his policy."

The check box is "controversial" because you are asked to check it on the form if you don't "have" a driver's license or ID card. Here's what it looks like on the form (which you can download and see yourself here):

So, here's the thing -- what's the definition of "have?" I may have one at my house or in my car, but not with me at the very moment I am filling out the registration form. In that case, it would be logical - and, in fact, honest -- for me to not check that box, while also putting down the last four digits of my social security number as my selected method of verifying my registration. Alternately, for whatever reason (privacy, etc.), I may simply feel more comfortable listing the last 4 digits of my social security number, rather than my entire driver's license number. So therefore, I might have listed my social security number and not checked the box.

And yet, if you made any of those logical choices -- if you gave all the social security information required by law, but simply didn't check the box - Coffman is attempting to use that choice to potentially invalidate your registration and prevent you from voting.

In case you think Coffman's move isn't extreme or motivated by partisanship, consider the fact that two big Republican counties are doing exactly the opposite of Coffman. As the Rocky Mountain News notes, "Election officials in Jefferson and Larimer counties also disagree with Coffman, saying they are weighing in on the side of the voter and won't disqualify people because of what they call a technicality." The Denver Post reports that Coffman reacted by sending a letter to other counties telling them they cannot follow suit, meaning two Republican counties are registering these voters, but others are not.

Thus, it isn't surprising that the Rocky Mountain News notes that "the largest number [of registrations affected by Coffman's edict] are Democrats, followed closely by unaffiliated voters," and "hundreds live in predominately minority neighborhoods in Denver and Aurora" (ie. traditionally Democratic constituencies).

Remember, Coffman is an up-and-coming Republican "star" -- he's simultaneously Secretary of State and running to replace Colorado U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R). So he's not some nonpartisan election observer -- as I said before, he's positioning himself to be Katherine Harris, who also went on to use her notoriety as an election thief to win a seat in Congress.

And Mike Coffman in particular understands that 5,000 Democratic votes is no small number in a place like Colorado. A 12,000 vote switch from Republican to Democrat in 2006 would have cost him his election to the Secretary of State's office.

To be sure, there are going to be a lot of election-day shenanigans all over the country, much of it in the shadows. But what we're seeing here in Colorado is a very public attempt to use Republican-controlled offices to potentially disenfranchise thousands and rig the election. Indeed, the Denver Post now reports that Coffman has asked his fellow Republican crony, state Attorney General John Suthers (R), to validate his moves with an official legal opinion so as to trip up potential pre- and post-election legal challenges to the disenfranchisement. This isn't a conspiracy theory - it's happening all right out in the open for everyone to see.

It all adds up to the kind of coordinated Republican scheme we've seen in the last two elections. And once again, that scheme could throw a national election.

Comments

[avraamjack]

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Call the lawyers. Sue.
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[mlaiuppa]

Coffman should take a lesson from history.

We all know what happened to Katherine Harris, don't we?

[PatrickforO]

Only after she screwed us, though

[kgdr24]

Stories like this make me even more motivated to get everyone I know and the people they know to get out and vote because only a Tsunami of voters for Obama can overwhelm these dirty tricks. The current powers that be in the Republican party are consistent in one thing, and one thing only, sheer lack of integrity. The lack of integrity displayed by the McCain campaign has done as much to turn off independents from joining with the Republicans as Bush has these last eight years. There should be a lot of soul searching after this election for the Republicans. Let's hope they get rid of the current corrupt leadership and embrace a more principaled approach that puts faith in their ideals rather than resorting to underhanded deeds and lies.

[wendynyc]

Like a wise person once said: "Its not about who votes in a election - its about who counts the votes in the election - that counts."

[mlaiuppa]

That wise person was Stalin.

[bouldermonk]

You know he's running in his own election against Hank Eng (D) which seems to me to represent a severe conflict of interest not only that but for the past 2 years has been uploading social security numbers online and for public access. The guy is more crooked than Tom Delay and Ted Stevens combined

[sheisme]

This is what happens when the electorate goes to sleep. This country has been uninvolved, uninformed, and distracted for a couple of decades. Fraud and suppression have run rampant and the only way to stop the madness is to expose and oppose the schemes loudly and with outrage ... write letters, call the media, stand up for your voting rights, and demand accountability. We have the opportunity in this election year to wake up and to reclaim our voice and our future by turning out to vote in such huge numbers that even tactics like this won't stop the will of the people.

[Nickesq]

A voter rights group has sued Coffman. Check it out: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_10815894

[darthdarcy]

Bush's Help America Vote Act was designed to keep as many Americans as possible from Voting especially Democrats..!

[PatrickforO]

Yes, it was more like the Help Republican Americans Vote Act

[mulishmissourian]

I like a lot of the ideas I've seen here. How about another one? Let's get President Bush to use Executive Privilege to issue an order that all election results be verified by ordinary citizens from each party willing to donate their time to ensure fairness. SORRY, I forgot: fairness is a foreign concept to some people!

[itmaybetoolate]

CNN has been running a story on problems in Georgia. Maybe they can be convinced to investigate this. I say we send this link to CNN.

[CharlesJ]

So what is the Obama camp doing to counter this move as well as the state democratic party and the state elections office. Talking about voter disenfranchisement. Wow I am slowly becoming embarassed by this country, the republicans are turning this country into an international laughing stock.

[mistlesuede]

Becoming?

[HoraceOvidson]

There are republicans that really know how to steal an election. (In fact, some of them are sitting on the U.S. Supreme Court.) I wouldn't mind them stealing these elections, if they could just govern better. As they told us back in elementary school: cheaters never prosper. In the current historical situation, it is most of the people who are not prospering. Even those Wall Street millionaire types don't seem to be doing that well. I guess, when you cheat, you are only cheating yourself, and I hasten to add any other nostrum, bromides, or old sayings that apply.

[sunny123]

I no longer live in Colorado, but still have a love for it. I hope the powers that be, Gov. Ritter, take a good look at this problem and help bring it out into the open. Doesn't one of the TV stations have a person who checks into business wrong doing? This would be just the thing for him.

David Sirota, I would love to have your column in my San Antonio Express newspaper. Texas is scary republican. I have to keep my mouth shut cause I'm afraid I'm in RED country. Your column would help a lot.

Thanks for your posts. I enjoy them and like the way to stay on task! Go Obama!

[dkerrice2861]

As a life-long resident of San Antonio, Welcome! Bexar county is pretty Democratic and I believe the Austin area is too , other than that you are correct, sadlyTexas is as RED as it gets! Wish the October surprise could be turning Texas BLUE! I know, wishful thinking, but it does not hurt to dream!

[sunny123]

Thank you. I love San Antonio and yes, Austin is dem, too. Great people. We just need to get TX up to date!

[santamonica39]

What can be done about this NOW? We can't wait until after the election. I am so sick of this attitude that one small technical issue can disqualify someone from voting. Voting is a RIGHT, not a privelege and we should be making it easier to vote, not making it so damn hard. They try to disqualify someone if their driver's license address doesn't completely match... well, the stupid registrar got my address wrong by 1 digit (their data entry fault) and thankfully I vote in California where election officials are not Nazis and I was not disenfranchised and was allowed to vote. But why should people be thrown off the roles because of data entry errors that weren't their fault, or technical issues like not knowing they needed to check some box with cryptic directions. I'm sick of this!!! We need massive electoral reform in this country. WE WANT OUR RIGHT TO VOTE!!!

[23000Days]

Upon reading the form, I conclude that the operative word is "OR". The form palinly states " provide A, or check B, OR provide D or check E. The word OR is placed in such a position that one would assume that by satisfying the top area or the bottom area, they had fulfilled the request.

[Tallllama]

Yes, one *or* the other. Thankyou. Now I don't have to spell all that out.

[zanzig]

That's how I read it. There are alternatives provided and a common reading would imply that a voter would make a choice among those alternatives (that is what is indicated by "OR"). Choosing one, logically negates the other choices.