1-5.5-101. Pilot program – internet voting system – absent uniformed services elector – secretary of state – fund – rules
Overview of Statute
The secretary of state shall develop an internet-based voting pilato program to facilitate voting by absent uniformed services electors serving outside the United States.
Statute
(1) The secretary of state, in coordination with the county clerk and recorders, shall develop an internet-based voting pilot program to facilitate voting by absent uniformed services electors serving outside the United States commencing with the general election held in 2012. The secretary of state shall select one or more political subdivisions to participate in the pilot program. The internet-based voting system developed for use by political subdivisions that participate in the pilot program shall:
(a) Transmit encrypted information over a secure network;
(b) Provide for secure identification and authentication of:
(I) Any information transmitted on the system; and
(II) Each designated or coordinated election official of a county or political subdivision and the servers of such officials and all other related electronic equipment being used by the secretary of state and each official in the conduct of elections via the internet;
(c) Protect the privacy, anonymity, and integrity of each elector’s ballot;
(d) Prevent the casting of multiple ballots via the internet in an election by each elector;
(e) Provide protection against abuse, including tampering, fraudulent use, and illegal manipulation by electors, election officials, or any other individual or group; and
(f) Provide uninterrupted and reliable internet availability for the purpose of casting votes via the internet by the electors.
(2) The secretary of state shall implement the internet-based voting system so that each designated or coordinated election official of a county or other political subdivision participating in the pilot program shall:
(a) Assure that each absent uniformed services elector serving outside the United States who logs in to vote via the internet is eligible and registered to vote;
(b) Verify that each elector who logs in to vote via the internet is the same person who is registered and qualified to vote;
(c) Verify that the votes of the electors transmitted to the election officials via the internet are private and secure and have not been viewed or altered by sites that lie between the voting location and the vote-counting destination;
(d) Verify that all votes cast via the internet by electors were cast by 7 p.m. mountain standard time on the day of the election; and
(e) Verify that all votes cast via the internet by electors were indeed counted and attributed correctly to the elector who cast the vote.
(3) The secretary of state may by rule promulgated in accordance with article 4 of title 24, C.R.S., establish procedures necessary to implement this article.
(4) There is hereby created in the state treasury the internet-based voting pilot program fund to provide for the direct and indirect costs associated with implementing this article. The fund consists of any moneys appropriated by the general assembly to the fund and any gifts, grants, and donations to the fund from private or public sources for the purposes of this article. All private and public funds received through gifts, grants, and donations shall be transmitted to the state treasurer, who shall credit the same to the fund. Moneys in the fund shall be subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly to the department of state for the purposes specified in this article. Any unexpended and unencumbered moneys remaining in the fund at the end of any fiscal year shall remain in the fund and shall not be transferred to the general fund or any other fund.
(5) Repealed.
Source: L. 2009: Entire article added, (HB 09-1205), ch. 383, p. 2078, § 2, effective August 5.L. 2012: IP(1) and (4) amended and (5) repealed, (SB 12-062), ch. 97, p. 326, § 2, effective April 12.
Editor’s note: Articles 1 to 13 were numbered as articles 1, 3, 4, 9 to 19, and 21 of chapter 49, C.R.S. 1963. The substantive provisions of these articles were repealed and reenacted in 1980, resulting in the addition, relocation, and elimination of sections as well as subject matter. For amendments to these articles prior to 1980, consult the Colorado statutory research explanatory note and the table itemizing the replacement volumes and supplements to the original volume of C.R.S. 1973 beginning on page vii in the front of this volume. Former C.R.S. numbers prior to 1980 are shown in editor’s notes following those sections that were relocated. For a detailed comparison of these articles for 1980, see the comparative tables located in the back of the index.
Cross references: For school elections, see articles 30, 31, and 42 of title 22; for elections for removal of county seats, see article 8 of title 30; for municipal elections, see article 10 of title 31; for special district elections, see part 8 of article 1 of title 32; for exemption of certain statutory proceedings from the rules of civil procedure, see C.R.C.P. 81; for recall from office, see article XXI of the state constitution; for recall of state and county officers, see part 1 of article 12 of this title; for recall of municipal officers, see part 5 of article 4 of title 31; for recall of directors of special districts, see § § 32-1-906, 32-1-907.
- Cross-References:
- Election Day
- Mail-In & Absentee Voting
- Military & Overseas Voting
1. Definition for United States
Used in the territorial sense, means the several states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. C.R.S. § 1-8.3-102.
2. Definition for Uniformed service
(a) Active and reserve components of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard of the United States;
(b) The merchant marine, the commissioned corps of the public health service, or the commissioned corps of the national oceanic and atmospheric administration of the United States; or
(c) The National Guard.
C.R.S. § 1-8.3-102.
3. Definition for Political subdivision
A governing subdivision of the state, including counties, municipalities, school districts, and special districts. C.R.S. § 1-7.5-103.
4. Definition for State
A state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. C.R.S. § 1-8.3-102.
5. Definition for Title
A brief statement that fairly and accurately represents the true intent and meaning of the proposed text of the initiative.
6. Definition for Ballot
(a) A federal write-in absentee ballot;
(b) A ballot specifically prepared or distributed for use by a covered voter in accordance with this article; or
(c) A ballot cast by a covered voter in accordance with this article.
(2) “Covered voter” means:
(a) A uniformed-service voter defined in paragraph (a) of subsection (9) of this section who is a resident of this state but who is absent from this state by reason of active duty and who otherwise satisfies this state’s voter eligibility requirements;
(b) An overseas voter who, before leaving the United States, was last eligible to vote in this state and, except for a state residency requirement, otherwise satisfies this state’s voter eligibility requirements;
(c) An overseas voter who, before leaving the United States, would have been last eligible to vote in this state had the voter then been of voting age and, except for a state residency requirement, otherwise satisfies this state’s voter eligibility requirements; or
(d) An overseas voter who was born outside the United States, is not described in paragraph (b) or (c) of this subsection (2), and, except for a state residency requirement, otherwise satisfies this state’s voter eligibility requirements if the last place where a parent, legal guardian, spouse, or civil union partner of the voter was, or under this article would have been, eligible to vote before leaving the United States is within this state.
C.R.S. § 1-8.3-102.
7. Definition for Person
Any natural person, partnership, committee, association, corporation, labor organization, political party, or other organization or group of persons. Section 2(11) of article XXVIII of the state constitution.
8. Definition for Section
A bound compilation of initiative forms approved by the secretary of state, which shall include pages that contain the warning required by section 1-40-110 (1), the ballot title, the abstract required by section 1-40-110 (3), and a copy of the proposed measure; succeeding pages that contain the warning, the ballot title, and ruled lines numbered consecutively for registered electors’ signatures; and a final page that contains the affidavit required by section 1-40-111 (2). Each section shall be consecutively prenumbered by the petitioner prior to circulation.
9. Definition for Election
Any election under the “Uniform Election Code of 1992” or the “Colorado Municipal Election Code of 1965”, article 10 of title 31, C.R.S. C.R.S. § 1-7.5-103.
10. Definition for Donation
(a) (I) The payment, loan, pledge, gift, or advance of money, or the guarantee of a loan, made to any person for the purpose of making an independent expenditure;
(II) Any payment made to a third party that relates to, and is made for the benefit of, any person that makes an independent expenditure;
(III) The fair market value of any gift or loan of property that is given to any person for the purpose of making an independent expenditure; or
(IV) Anything of value given, directly or indirectly, to any person for the purpose of making an independent expenditure.
(b) “Donation” shall not include a transfer by a membership organization of a portion of a member’s dues for an independent expenditure sponsored by such membership organization.
C.R.S. § 1-45-103.
11. Definition for Secretary
The Colorado secretary of state. C.R.S. § 1-1.5-102.