Federal monitors to stand outside Adams County polling places after state rejects terms

Voters in Adams County, Colorado, will see federal election monitors standing outside their polling places on Nov. 3, following a dispute over the terms of their presence. The U.S. Justice Department declined to accept conditions set by state officials that would have allowed the monitors to enter election buildings under specific restrictions. As a result, the monitors will remain outdoors, positioned 100 feet from the structures in accordance with state law.

The department plans to deploy four monitors to cover six to eight polling locations. They will work in teams of two to ensure compliance with federal voting rights laws regarding language and accessibility. Specifically, the monitors will verify that materials are available in English and Spanish, that bilingual staff are present, and that facilities are accessible to voters with disabilities. They will also check that voters are permitted to bring an assistant into the voting booth.

Secretary of State Jena Griswold stated that her office provided reasonable restrictions which the department refused. She noted that the monitors would not be allowed to enter voter centers in Adams County. Griswold emphasized that her office will act on any suggestion of voter intimidation, asserting that it is illegal for anyone to interfere with voters outside of designated centers. Adams County Clerk Josh Zygielbaum said his office is ready to assist voters and is committed to ensuring every eligible voter has their voice heard.

The initial notification to state and county officials was sent last week by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Attorney Jake Bachand outlined the proposed terms in a letter dated Oct. 27. He specified that monitors would only speak with the presiding election official and take notes from a designated area. They would not touch equipment, speak with voters, or wear suits or display credentials to identify their affiliation. Bachand wrote that the monitors would stay away from voting machines and the voting area at all times.

State officials proposed that monitors be accompanied by observers from the secretary of state’s office while inside polling locations. They were also to be limited to speaking only with the presiding official and taking notes in a designated spot. The Justice Department rejected these terms shortly after receiving the letter detailing the approval conditions. Spokesperson Kiersten Pels stated that state or local approval is not required for department monitoring, though the monitors will follow local rules and jurisdictional training.

The assigned monitors include James Freeman, a Justice Department attorney with 30 years of experience, and three staff members from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Denver: special assistant Atticus Yondorf, administrative specialist Ana Gomez Becerra, and paralegal Charisha Cruz. This deployment is part of a national plan to send approximately 1,000 monitors to polling places. Adams County is the only jurisdiction in Colorado selected for observation. It is a Democratic-majority county in the state’s 8th Congressional District, where a competitive race will help determine control of Congress.

The department cited the county’s high number of Spanish-speaking voters as the reason for its selection under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act. Colorado’s Democratic congressional delegation expressed concern in a letter last week, linking the deployment to other federal actions aimed at controlling elections. These include a lawsuit for access to confidential voter information and efforts to limit mail-in voting. Earlier this week, state clerks stated they were united in protecting elections from federal interference. The state’s 8th District is considered a toss-up in the upcoming election.