Hundreds of thousands of Colorado voters Thursday night acquired a robocall urging them to solid their November 2023 poll from Colorado’s prime election official, who confronted criticism final yr for spending cash on an identical messaging marketing campaign geared toward boosting turnout and combating election conspiracies.
The Colorado Secretary of State’s Workplace says registered voters acquired a name from Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold if their ballots hadn’t been returned and processed by 1 p.m. Thursday.
That’s greater than 3 million folks.
Coloradans who already solid their 2023 ballots could have acquired the 30-second robocall from Griswold, a Democrat, if their poll hadn’t but been opened by their county clerk. For example, a Colorado Solar reporter who solid their poll Wednesday nonetheless acquired the robocall.
“That is Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold,” the recorded message began.
It ended with: “Colorado’s elections are protected and safe. Thanks for making your voice heard within the 2023 coordinated election.”
You possibly can hearken to a recording of the decision right here. The marketing campaign value $50,000, based on Griswold’s workplace, which declined to remark additional on the decision.
Matt Crane, govt director of the Colorado County Clerks Affiliation, mentioned that not all county clerks, who handle elections, had been notified concerning the calls upfront.
“We’re listening to from voters about it,” Crane mentioned. “It seems that individuals who solid their ballots a while in the past are receiving this message. We’ve had clerks who returned their ballots or clerks’ relations who’ve returned their ballots every week or so if no more in the past, they usually’ve gotten the calls.”
Crane added: “There are fairly a number of clerks who’re upset and dissatisfied by it.”
The decision comes at a time when clerks are busy coping with Tuesday’s election.
“The very last thing that we wish to see occur is voter confusion created round that messaging,” he mentioned. “We all know that, in the end, that is going to fall totally on the clerks who must take the telephone calls from indignant residents.”
However Wendy Holmes, a spokeswoman for Douglas County, mentioned the county clerk’s workplace there was notified of the decision earlier than it was made and that the county’s election officers didn’t get questions from voters about it.
Ballots have to be acquired by county clerks by 7 p.m. Tuesday to be counted. It’s too late to mail a poll again in, however voters can drop off their ballots at a drop field or vote in particular person.
► To discover a close by drop field or polling location, go to this web site.
Voters can observe the standing of their ballots by signing up for BallotTrax. They’ve the choice of being despatched an automatic textual content or e mail when their poll is acquired and when it’s formally counted by their county clerk.
By 11:30 p.m. Thursday, roughly 650,000 of the almost 4 million energetic, registered voters in Colorado had returned their ballots.
Griswold got here below fireplace final yr when her workplace spent greater than $1 million to run a TV advert that includes her and former Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams, a Republican, within the months main as much as the 2022 election. The advert was geared toward combating voting conspiracies, however critics mentioned it amounted to free air time for Griswold, who was working for reelection, and for Williams, who was working to be Colorado Springs’ mayor.
Griswold gained her reelection bid. Williams’ bid fell brief.
The advert prompted Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, so as to add a provision into an election invoice this yr prohibiting the Colorado Secretary of State’s Workplace from utilizing state or federal funds to pay for promoting that prominently options declared candidates for federal, state or native workplace.
Griswold just isn’t at the moment working for any place.
The Colorado Secretary of State’s Workplace awarded a $1 million contract to Advertising and marketing for Change for promoting forward of the 2024 election geared toward encouraging folks to vote and assuring voters that the state’s elections are safe. The corporate has workplaces in Virginia, Orlando and Denver.
