County clerks urged to voice their opinions

RBC | Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams urged county clerks to voice their opinions in May after they view proposed regulations for allowing unaffiliated voters to participate in primary elections without any restrictions.
The Secretary of State’s office earlier asked some clerks for their ideas on drafting rules to deal with Proposition 108, which voters approved last November. It allows unaffiliated voters to participate in primary elections without affiliating with a party. The Secretary of State’s office is working on proposed regulations to be sent to clerks in May.
“When you get the draft regulations, please review them,” Williams said. “Please let us know if something works or if something doesn’t work. I need both of those.”
Williams on April 21 spoke to clerks and their staffs who gathered at the western region clerks’ conference in Rifle.
“It’s a busy time, but that’s pretty much always the case when you’re a county clerk,” Williams said.
He speaks from experience. He served as the El Paso County clerk and recorder before becoming secretary of state in 2015.
Williams also noted that he has told county commissioners to expect their clerks to ask for more money to run elections because of Proposition 108.
“I know you guys are good, but none of you can send out more ballots at the same cost,” he said.
Prior to the passage of Prop 108, unaffiliated voters had to declare party affiliation to participate in either the Democratic or Republican primary. Now, all unaffiliated voters will automatically be mailed ballots.