Colorado Attorney General Weiser reissues public advisories on voter intimidation laws

The office of Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser on Thursday issued the following press release on the state’s voter intimidation laws just days before ballots start mailing out in the Nov. 8 midterm election:

Attorney General Phil Weiser today reissued public advisories reminding Coloradans that they have the right to vote free from intimidation, and that the Colorado Department of Law will hold accountable those who attempt to intimidate or harass voters or election workers.

The advisories provide guidance on the crimes of voter or election worker intimidation, their penalties, and how to report violations should a person witness or be a target of voter intimidation at a polling center or at an official ballot drop box.

“We will continue to protect Coloradans from illegal harassment and intimidation while they are participating in one of our most sacred traditions,” Weiser said. “Everyone has the right to vote safely and free from intimidation.

Under Colorado law, those found guilty of voter intimidation or illegally interfering with an election official while performing their duties face fines or jail time, or both. The attorney general and local district attorneys have authority to prosecute voter intimidation crimes.

Highlights from the attorney general’s advisories include:

• It is unlawful for any person to openly carry a firearm: (1) at a polling location; (2) within 100 feet of a ballot drop-box; (3) or in any building in which a polling location is located. Certain exceptions are provided for persons on their private property, uniformed security guards, and peace officers.
• Doxxing election workers is illegal. It is illegal to knowingly place on the Internet an election official’s or worker’s, or their immediate family member’s, personal information if doing so poses an imminent and serious threat to the official’s or worker’s safety, or that of their immediate family members, and the person in violation is aware or should be aware of such threat.
• Not just anyone can claim to be a poll watcher. In Colorado, for a person to be a poll watcher, they generally must have been selected by a political party, unaffiliated or write-in candidate, or registered issue committee; have their name certified to the county clerk and recorder on an official list; and present their certificate to the election judges at the time they enter the polling center and are sworn in by the judges.

Click here to view the advisories.

Any person who witnesses or is a target of voter intimidation or election worker intimidation should contact their local law enforcement agency or county clerk and recorder for immediate assistance, or the Colorado Attorney General’s Office at (720) 508-6000. In an emergency, people should call 911.

Additional information on voting procedures can be found on the Colorado Secretary of State’s voter resource webpage.