Adams County is coming under increasing scrutiny — including the prospect of a legal challenge in court — after County Clerk Karen Long did not disclose that nearly 200,000 ballots in the November election could be traced back to individual voters. Gary Mikes, chairman of the Adams County Republicans, said Long should have come forward about the erroneously marked ballots six weeks ago, when she first detected the problem in late October. Long did not notify the secretary of state’s office of the error until Dec. 9, and issued a news release the next day. “It was her responsibility to inform everybody when she found that out,” Mikes said.
Though Long was not required to tell the secretary of state as soon as she knew about the problem, spokesman Rich Coolidge said his office was “frustrated that the clerk kept us in the dark on this issue.
“We’re continuing to play catch-up and trying to identify the best path moving forward,” he said in an e-mail.
In the meantime, a group of Adams County voters is planning this week to sue the clerk’s office over the validity of the election, poll watcher Marilyn Marks said. She declined Monday to share the names of plaintiffs in the matter but said a suit could be filed as early as Tuesday.
Full Article: Adams County ballot troubles could wind up in court – The Denver Post.