Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold is clarifying a situation in which her office reportedly sent out voter registration postcards which were received by some non-citizens or dead individuals.
CBS 4 in Denver reported last week that “about a dozen of the postcards — that we know of — went to people who were not citizens or deceased.”
In a follow-up report, Griswold explained that the mailings were not the same as ballots and are simply a means to encourage some who are eligible to register to actually go out and do so.
“This postcard, encouraging people to register, goes to people who are potentially eligible but unregistered,” she said in an interview with the network, “and, you know, the mailings aren’t always 100% correct.”
The network stated that there is no link between these mailings and the actual voter rolls.
Colorado’s Secretary Of State Sets The Record Straight On Voter Registration Postcards https://t.co/5ijvyVAM7H pic.twitter.com/5RPmBodVLU
— CBSDenver (@CBSDenver) September 28, 2020
RELATED: Texas Democrat Official, 3 Others Indicted on 134 Felony Counts Involving Mail-In Ballot Fraud
Voter Registration Postcards Go Out to Non-Citizens, Dead People
Griswold assures that the mailings mistakenly sent out to those who can not vote will not be an issue.
“The fact that the list, or the postcard, goes to a few people who are not eligible to be registered is why we put so prominently on the postcard the qualifications to vote in this election.”
The postcards do state clearly the qualifications to vote: 18 years of age, U.S. citizen and Colorado resident at least 22 days before the election.
CBS Denver removed their original story which suggested the mailers were connected to voter registration rolls. They are not.
“I think the key is that the mailing to encourage potentially unregistered people to register is not the same mailing as our ballot mailing,” explained Griswold. “Those are two separate universes.”
“The state elections official interviewed for our story repeatedly referred to the voter rolls in reference to the mailing list during the interview,” News Director Tim Wieland tweeted.
The state elections official interviewed for our story repeatedly referred to the voter rolls in reference to the mailing list during the interview. The Secretary of State’s office informs us there is no connection. (2/4)
— Tim Wieland (@CBS4Tim) September 27, 2020
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Lawsuit Over Voter Postcards
Last week, Griswold settled with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) over mailings to Colorado voters that includes what the lawsuit called “false statements that will confuse Colorado voters.”
The lawsuit contended that the USPS postcards were not accurate for a few reasons, one of which was that people do not need to request mail-in ballots.
“Colorado voters don’t need to request a ballot because all registered voters receive one by mail,” the lawsuit stated.
I just found out the @USPS is sending this postcard to every household and PO Box in the nation. For states like Colorado where we send ballots to all voters, the information is not just confusing, it’s WRONG. (Thread) pic.twitter.com/RoTTeJRJVl
— Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) September 12, 2020
“Confusing voters about mail ballots in the middle of a pandemic is unacceptable,” Griswold complained at the time.
“It can undermine confidence in the election [and] suppress votes,” she continued. “I will do everything in my power to stop the USPS from sending misinformation to voters.”
Now she dismisses the postcards from her office saying, “you know, the mailings aren’t always 100% correct.”
Last week, a Texas Democrat county commissioner was arrested on charges that he and three associates committed mail-in ballot fraud in a 2018 primary election.
