Secretary of State Mike Coffman, one of two GOP statewide elected officials and now running for a Congressional Seat has now deemed 35,000 (out of 120,000+) new registrations invalid due to a clerical error or interpretation of instruction in providing residence status AFTER THE FACT!

In short the CO voter registration form asks for a driver's license number, state-issued identification number, or social security number as proof of identity (link to form here) 

The Secretary of State's office is now telling voters they must have checked a box which indicates they do not have a driver's license or state ID card, in order for the social security number to be sufficient. 

  The sentence in the form states:

"Check here if you do not have a driver's license or state-issued identification card".  It does not say "at all" or "with you". 

This sentence of course is vague, and could be interpreted by each registrar differently.  When people have been trained (like me) to do voter registration by his office for many months, they have been told the box only needs to be checked if the person does not have a driver's license or state identification card AT ALL.    On the Secretary of State website, there is a link to a PDF document titled "Registration Information for New Voters".  After a list of documents allowable for establishing identification, it continues:

Or you may provide one of the following numbers without providing a physical copy of the number:

Valid Colorado Driver’s License number

 Valid Colorado Department of Revenue Identification number

 At least the four last digits of the voter’s Social Security number

 

According to reports, the Secretary of State's office has recently deemed up to 35,000 (this was told to me last night from the El Paso Democratic Party Chair) of these new registrations invalid, despite the fact they have been completed as instructed!   There are many reasons why persons didn't have their driver's license on them. A)  Imagine you run some errands with your spouse and your spouse drives, so you don't bring your driver's license with you.  B) Or, you could be taking a walk, working out at the gym, shopping, etc. C) You meet a voter registrar with a clipboard somewhere, and they offer to help you register to vote.  D) Or you don't have your driver's license with you, although you do have one at home, and you put your social security number on the form instead (a number unique to you).  The registrar collects all the necessary information, asks you to sign and date the form, and gives you a receipt with his/her signature.    According to Secretary of State's Coffman's new interpretation, the form is invalid if you are honest and do not check the box saying you do not have a driver's license (because you do - it is just not with you).  If you were dishonest and said you didn't have a driver's license, in order to use the social security number option, you may get away with it.    Of course pending lawsuits are spreading.  MEANWHILE, voter registration in Colorado ends at the close of business on Monday, October 6th.  Mail-in ballots, the choice of most of the new voters registered this year, are scheduled to be sent out October 6th, as well.   The national press can contact him at his campaign office at (303) 791-6453 or info@coffmanforcongress.com or the elections office at (303) 894-2200 ext. 6307 elections@sos.state.co.us .

This is another report from the battleground state of Colorado with a view from the Red Zone front lines inside Colorado Springs. In the past the Republicans could count on a margin 70-30 which would balance the Democratic votes in Denver and Boulder counties. In 2004 Kerry got 32%, while Senator Salazar won a narrow victory getting almost 34% in El Paso County which was the margin of his win. In 2006 Governor Ritter expanded the Salazar plan and received 39.7% in the Red Zone and won easily 55-44% over former Congressman Beaupreu.  Under the national radar my firend Lt Col Jay Fawcett also received 39% against Lamborn and even pushed the number in Colorado Springs into low 40's.

Now as the final weekend approaches the voter registration numbers are being released and the Democrats have amazingly registered more voters than the Republicans or Independents with an increase right now at 17% (compared to 9% for Unaffiliated's and 6% for Republicans). All told like the rest of the state El Paso County has seen an increase of 9% new voter registrations.That said the Democrats have added almost 13,200 new voters while the Republicans are at 9600 and the Independents just over 10,600.

Compare this to the early September report that Colorado has added over 118,600 new voters with 74,600 were Democrats and you can see why change is in the air. Bottom line in the Obama strategy is for El Paso County to deliver 38% vote to the state and the math should work out for a strong victory statewide. What is heartening in that Colorado Independent report is that new voters are 2-to-1 inclined to vote for Obama, that includes Unaffiliated's. If this translates to El Paso County it would mean the 32,000 new voters could result in 20,000 votes for Obama where Salazar recorded 81,000 votes (a record for a Democrat in the county) and with the expected turnout equote to over 40%.

With the ground game extremely active and known to be the best organized volunteer group in Colorado the belief is that the bar can be moved at least 5% from Ritter & Fawcett levels. This would turn Colorado from a leaning or battleground state to a flat in the bank state for Obama.

My numbers to review:  Voter Reg in El Paso County

....................Rep's.......... Dem's ...........Unaffiliated
1/25/08...... 153,532 ......68,689 ..........108,406
6/30/08 ......155,558...... 72,590...........112,630
7/31/08...... 157,047....... 74,774..........113,699
9/02/08...... 157,998....... 75,241..........112,665
10/02/08.... 163,203........ 81,881..........119,085
% ..................44.6%..........22.2%...........32.5%
Ttl Voters 365, 899............ (9% increase)

Or you can translate the following:

....................Rep's.............. Dem's.......... Unaffilied's
06/30/08... + 2026........... + 3901............. + 4224
7/30/08..... + 1489............ + 2184............. + 1069
09/02/08.... + 957............... + 469............. (- 1034)
10/02.08.... + 5205............ + 6640.............+ 6420


Total.......... + 9677............ + 13194............. + 10679

% increase.. + 6%................. + 17%................. + 9%