Cameras, GPS tracking: How Larimer County keeps your votes safe
Collegian | Brooke Buchan 2019
Fort Collins residents can use the ballot box outside the Larimer County courthouses building to deliver their ballots. (Photo illustration, Brooke Buchan | Collegian)
October 20, 2022
“I am completely and 100% comfortable with elections in Larimer County,” Larimer County Clerk and Recorder Angela Myers said.
Myers explained the secure process of counting ballots amid controversy around fraudulent elections as ballots go out in the mail this week.
Ad
In the 2020 election, people grew concerned about the security of mail-in and drop-off ballots. Talk of cheating in the election and demands for recounts raised conversations about how ballots are counted. Myers, who has been the Larimer County clerk since May 2013, oversees the ballot counting process.
Myers said that to be sure ballots cannot be tampered with, ballot boxes are under 24/7 camera surveillance and emptied by a team of bipartisan judges who are GPS-tracked and required to seal with a chain of custody. After the ballots are received by either mail, box or drop-off, they are scanned into Agilis Ballot Scanning and Sorting System machines to ensure nobody can vote twice or in two different counties.
“We keep track of how many ballots are making their way through all along,” Myers said.
From there, the ballots go through a long process of checks and balances that is unique to Colorado where “600 to 630” trained bipartisan judges per year follow the ballots through every step, Myers explained. Voters interested in knowing the ballot counting process can review it on Larimer County’s website or call Myers herself at 970-498-7852.
The Colorado secretary of state also has a page of resources for curious voters combating misinformation about elections. Myers agrees that while it is healthy to question elections and make sure the process is fair, Larimer County’s counting procedure is secure.
“Any system is vulnerable, … but as with everything, you mitigate those vulnerabilities by having a process in place that makes sure no one can exploit them, and if they were exploited, you would know it immediately,” Myers said.
Check out The Collegian’s other articles and midterm voter guides to prepare for Election Day Nov. 8.
Reach Sophia Masia at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @sophie_masia.
