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Republicans stand up for secret ballots
PRESS ADVISORY: Boulder County Republicans Urge County Clerk to Retain Secret Ballot
Today Robert McGuire, chairman of Boulder County Republicans, sent a letter to County Clerk and Recorder Linda Salas urging Salas to act urgently to preserve the secret ballot in Boulder County.
Boulder County Republicans recently learned that the Clerk's office has negotiated a contract with a private vendor to print the County's ballots and that one of the contract options under consideration by the Clerk involves printing non-removable, unique codes directly onto ballots. Unique codes printed on ballots could permit individual voters to be identified, along with their votes, and could thereby risk eliminating voter anonymity.
"As you know, voting by secret ballot has long been a cornerstone of American democracy," McGuire stated in his letter, adding, "this practice should not be lightly abandoned." McGuire further observed, "the Colorado Constitution specifically provides that 'no ballots shall be marked in any way whereby the ballot can be identified as the ballot of the person casting it.'"
McGuire urged the Clerk instead to select a second contract option that would require printing any unique ballot code on a removable, perforated strip.
"At a time when the integrity of elections is such a major focus of public attention here and around the country, tossing aside the secret ballot would be a major step in the wrong direction for Boulder County," McGuire explained. "Boulder County Republicans will stand up to preserve this fundamental safeguard over the integrity of Colorado's electoral process."
McGuire is an attorney in Superior who also serves as adjunct faculty with the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law, where he teaches federal election law. McGuire was elected to serve as Boulder County Chairman on June 8, 2006.
CONTACT: Robert McGuire, Chairman Boulder County Republicans
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