On November 24, 2014 widely reported stories told of Sony Pictures being hacked, resulting in the loss of an incredible amount of intellectual property. Then last month, a massive cyberattack hacked Anthem Blue Cross, leading to a breach of over 11 million customers’ personal information. Now, with the end of the session less than four weeks away, legislators in Colorado—both Democrat and Republican—are working on a bill that could expand the use of internet voting, claiming that it is safe and secure. The bill, known as House Bill 15-1130, would mark the third year in a row that the legislature has tried to overhaul elections in Colorado. Each bill has been worse than the last. In the 2013 session, the Democrat-controlled legislature passed a bill that contained mandatory all mail-in ballots, same day voter registration and reduced residency requirements for any state-wide election. In 2014, they extended these bad ideas to local elections.
With Republicans winning control of the state Senate in November, we could have expected, if not the repeal of the worst provisions of the previous years, then at least no more damage. This may not be the case if HB15-1130 passes as drafted.
Originally, the bill was titled “Concerning Voting by Military and Overseas Voters in Municipal Elections,” and the intent was to allow those voters the same rights they have in state-wide elections. However, as election activist Harvie Branscomb noted, that bill contained no reference to military voters.
Full Article: Internet voting in Colorado: What could go wrong? | Communities Digital News.