Secretary of State Confident with Accessible Voting Equipment

Denver CO, September 22, 2006 - After Judge Larry Manzanares' ruling on state certified electronic voting machines today, Secretary of State Gigi Dennis expressed her support and confidence in the voting equipment certified by her office, her election staff, and the county clerk and recorders.

"Colorado voters should not be concerned about the security of the November election," Dennis said. "We are fortunate to have a team of county clerks who take their job of providing fair, open, and secure elections very seriously."

Secretary Dennis expressed her confidence in the elections staff and feels confident with the state's certification process. "Voters should have the same confidence that the elections will be fair and their votes will count. I ask voters to ignore the political rhetoric by a few seeking to destroy that confidence," Dennis said.

The Secretary of State's office plans to proceed working with Colorado's Clerks and Recorders to ensure that November elections are conducted in the fairest, most secure manner possible.

"We share a common interest with all Colorado citizens to improve our elections," Dennis said. "We are pleased the judge recognized the need to keep this years election moving forward and we will work toward improving our rules and standards in this area."

Secretary Dennis urges voters who may be concerned about casting ballots on the new machines to take an opportunity to vote early or attend county demonstrations and training on the equipment. Voters also have the option to vote an absentee ballot.

All of Colorado's new voting equipment has been approved by independent testing authorities endorsed by the federal government. Additionally, the Secretary of State's office is required by law to conduct a functional testing of election equipment used in Colorado. Various tests of the equipment are conducted to meet functional abilities, performance levels, audit capacity, security, telecommunications requirements, and accessibility. Colorado's certification process takes 45 to 60 days to complete and requires extensive reviews of audit logs and paper audit trails to ensure accuracy of the equipment. The process is similar to what is done in California, Georgia, Florida, and Texas.

More information about Colorado's voting equipment may be obtained from the Secretary of State's website.