Letters written to Representative Joann Windholz asking her to postpone

indefinitely HB16-1126. Her correct email address at the Statehouse is

joann.windholz.house@state.co.us.

Subject:[Colorado Voter].5131 We strongly recommend that you P.I. HB 1126.

Date:Thu, 11 Feb 2016 14:48:49 +0000
From:Al Kolwicz
To:<joann.windholz.house@state.co.us>
CC:Colorado Voter Group <ColoradoVoter@googlegroups.com>
Dear Rep. Windholz,
As you heard me explain to attendees, at a recent breakfast meeting, Colorado
has created what is likely to be the nations least trustworthy election system. It
has accomplished this by creating laws that (1) serve the whims of election
officials, (2) that disregard the needs of the public for secure, accurate and
verifiable elections, and that (3) disregard the lessons of history.
There is tension between verifiable elections and official convenience; there is
tension between secure elections and voter convenience; and there is tension
between accurate results and speedy results. But in all cases, it is expected that
legislators will always opt to protect the voters they represent, rather than the
election officials whose [special] interests do not always align with the voters.
Our election statutes and rules have been stripped of protections designed to
ensure: secure, accurate and verifiable elections. Open records and watchers are
the publics last lines of defense. As you well know, open election records have
been limited to where they cannot be used to detect violations of security,
accuracy, and verifiability until it is too late to save an election. It is only thru
watchers that there is any chance to prevent awarding an election to the wrong
contestant. HB 1126 as currently amended would kill this public tool and open
our elections to further unreported misinterpretation, error, and fraud.
It will take considerable effort to compose, explain and promote an effective bill
to meet the publics needs more than should be attempted in the middle of a
busy legislative calendar.
We strongly recommend that you P.I. HB 1126.

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If you feel that you must proceed with this bill, we recommend that it be
redrafted to meet the needs of the public and not the whims of election officials.
And then, you will need to explain and promote the fact that the elections belong
to the voters and not election officials.
Al Kolwicz, Trustee
Colorado Voter Group

From: Marty Neilson

Sent: Friday, February 12, 2016 8:12 AM
To: joann.windholz.house@state.co.us
Subject: HB16-1126
Representative Windholz,
I am writing to request your withdrawal of HB16-1126 which appears to seriously
hamper the oversight of election watchers as well as encourage treatment of
watchers as the "enemy" or "criminals". I have been an election judge and
watcher at elections for the past thirty years and find the erosion of election
transparency and integrity appalling. My work has been in Boulder County which
I might add is one of the worst examples of election transparency and integrity.
As a judge, I have been counseled by County election officials when challenging
unethical and illegal processes as being acting like a "watcher". Election officials
even called the Boulder County Chairman asking her to "fire" me as election
judge. I am fully aware of the position description of election judges.
Unfortunately, most County Clerks in Colorado have come to believe the election
does not belong to "we the people". Laws passed in recent years have further
eroded our ability to have fair and accurate elections. The bill is going in the
wrong direction.
Please consider postponing indefinitely.
Regards,
Marty Neilson
Lyons CO

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Dear Representative Windholz,

I will add my voice to others in saying that Al Kolwicz has done a masterful job of
detailing the lamentable state of affairs in Colorado, especially when it comes to
sustaining an essential element of fair and accurate elections. We need an
adequate number of well-trained members of the public serving as watchers over
our elections. I concur with his immediate suggestion to postpone indefinitely
HB1126. I say this reluctantly, as I am sure you have worked hard on this bill, and
with the best of intentions.
But we need more if we are going to repair the damage that has been done to our
election system over the past few years. Our state constitution requires that our
legislators are responsible for maintaining "the purity of elections". Yet election
bills recently passed suggest to me that they have let us down. Everyone has his
or her own ideas on how to explain what has made our election system less
protected from corruption. As far as watchers go, I think effective watchers have
made some parties nervous. But the public is paying our election administrators
to be public servants, that is, serving the public. And one election administrator,
the Secretary of State, along with our legislators, is also specifically tasked by law
with maintaining the purity of elections.
We must find a way that legislators and the Secretary of State effectively protect
our elections so they are fair and accurate; otherwise, we have no democracy.
Hopefully, another bill concerning watchers will go further in restoring the
public's contribution to this process, by providing adequate oversight as
watchers.
Thanks so much for your good work.
Sincerely,
Margit Johansson
Coloradans for Voting Integrity

Dear Rep. Windholz

Today I received several emails regarding this bill, but just now had time to read
it. The bill damages the already tenuous election transparency and accountability
in Colorado. Honestly, it reads like a sop to the clerks who think they own the

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elections instead of we the people. That is certainly not all of them, but I have a
sense that the number has grown in the 6 years since I worked closely with them
as a consultant to the SOS.
I respectfully ask that you pull this bill.
Elaine Brofford
Denver County Republican PCP, former, Denver County Vice Chair, Former
Chair and Vice Chair of Denver Republican Women
Dear Representative Windholz,
I have been and election judge and a poll watcher for many years.
As an election judge I have no problem with a watcher seeing what I am doing. If
I am doing my job correctly, I have nothing to fear. I have had watchers stand
right behind me looking over my shoulder as I check signatures. I am happy to
have them there.
As a watcher myself I have brought irregularities to the attention of election
judges who were not following the rules. One judge at an early voting center told
me that the ballot box did not need to be locked and that I had to leave before the
ballots were in the transfer cases. When I returned the next day, she apologized
and corrected her errors.
Please do not hinder the transparency of our election process for the convenience
of election officials who may be knowingly or unknowingly allowing voter fraud.
Please table HB-1126 indefinitely.
Thank you,
Cathy Jarrett

Dear Honorable Rep. Windholz,

I respectfully request you P.I. HB 1126. As a previous Election Watcher in
Boulder County and current Election Judge in Garfield County I have seen first
hand the challenges we face in order to maintain Election Integrity. Fair and
transparent elections are the backbone of our nations system of checks and
balances.
I have taken the liberty to attach the Secretary of States "Review of the 2014
General Election Results for Boulder County" as a reference point and reminder

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that we should not make expedient short cuts and lower the bar when it comes to
Election Integrity.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Larry Singer
Neighborhood Team Leader
Carbondale, CO
Subject:Re: [Colorado Voter].5134 We strongly recommend that you P.I. HB1126.
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2016 09:50:53 -0700
From: Ralph Shnelvar
To:
Representative JoAnn Windholz <joann.windholz.house@state.co.us>
CC:
Colorado Voter Group <ColoradoVoter@googlegroups.com>
Dear Representative Windholz,
I completely agree with Mr. Kolwicz and Ms. Eberle in their emails to you.
Ralph Shnelvar
Chair, Libertarian Party of Boulder County

Subject:Re: [Colorado Voter].5133 We strongly recommend that you P.I. HB 1126.

Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2016 16:38:35 +0000
From: Becky Mizel
To:
joann.windholz.house@state.co.us
CC:
Colorado Voter Group (ColoradoVoter@googlegroups.com)
Dear Rep. Windholz,
As a former republican party chairman in Pueblo County we fought hard for
election integrity in our county and particularly the critical role watcher's play in
the process.
I completely agree with Mr. Kolwicz's letter.
Thank you.
Becky Mizel

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Subject: Fwd: [Colorado Voter].5132 We strongly recommend that you P.I. HB 1126.
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2016 08:32:16 -0700
From: Mary Eberle
To: Representative JoAnn Windholz <joann.windholz.house@state.co.us>
CC: Colorado Voter Group <ColoradoVoter@googlegroups.com>
Dear Representative Windholz,
With much regret, I find myself in agreement with the P.I.
recommendation below from Colorado Voter Group to you.
I don't think that you want to become the poster child who put the last
nail in the coffin of election integrity in Colorado.
If you were to do a strike below and only create a watcher oath that
contains the same promise election judges make to respect voters'
privacy during signature verification and other election steps, that
change would solve the practical and ethical problems. However, you
would be facing enormous opposition from the clerks and the Secretary of
State, and the bill would be open to manipulation during subsequent
stages of the legislative process.
I am so sorry you were dragged into this mess. I know you wanted to help
our elections.
Respectfully,
Mary
Mary C. Eberle
1520 Cress Court
Boulder, CO 80304
303 442-2164

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