Colorado allows DOJ election observers in Adams County, but with strict limits

The U.S. Department of Justice will be allowed to send election observers to Adams County voting centers — as long as it agrees to follow Colorado’s rules.

The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said Thursday that if the Justice Department sends federal observers, they must be accompanied by state-appointed observers at all times. The DOJ personnel must observe and take notes only from a designated area at each voting center. They can only communicate with the voting center’s lead official about accessible voting equipment and bilingual poll workers.

The federal observers will be forbidden to speak with voters, access voting equipment or go outside their designated areas. They also cannot take photographs or record audio or video.

If DOJ personnel fail to follow those rules, their permission will be revoked.

The decision comes after the Justice Department’s Oct. 20 request to observe proceedings in Adams County. The department has said the observers are meant to ensure all federal laws are followed, but some Colorado election officials have raised concerns about potential voter intimidation.

Adams County Clerk Josh Zygielbaum said in a statement Thursday that if the federal monitors are authorized to come to his county, they’ll see “the best run elections in the nation.”

The Justice Department had not responded to the Secretary of State’s conditions as of Thursday morning. Formal authorization letters have not been issued.

This story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, with support from news outlets throughout the state. Startup funding for the Alliance was provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.