Secretary of State Donetta Davidson , Senator Ron Tupa, and Representative Al White Plan to Annouce the Details of Election Reform Legislation in Colorado

Denver, March 22, 2005 - Secretary of State Donetta Davidson, members of the Blue Ribbon Election, and Colorado County Clerk and Recorders will be announcing the details of the Blue Ribbon Election bill that will be introduced in the Senate this week. The press conference will be held on Thursday, March 24, 2005 at 12:00 p.m. in the Room 326 in the State Capitol building.

"This election reform legislation suggests improvements to existing laws and procedures that would increase the fairness, accuracy, and transparency of election in Colorado," Davidson said.

The Blue Ribbon Election Panel has worked diligently to create legislation prohibiting fraud through voter registration drives, to strengthen and clarify election laws concerning provisional ballots and identification requirements with regard to student identification and Native American identification, and modify election timeframes to provide certainty that absentee ballots will be provided in a timely manner to voters. The draft legislation also requires Colorado to provide voter verification to voters by 2010. The Panel will continue to meet to discuss additional issues, including draft legislation on testing and auditing of voting equipment.