Colorado is shaping up to be a nightmare on Election Day

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Colorado is shaping up to be a nightmare on Election Day

By Jon Sarche
ASSOCIATED PRESS

October 17, 2004

DENVER – Colorado could end up writing an ugly sequel to the Florida election nightmare of four years ago.

County clerks have been swamped with a surge in voter registrations, thousands of felons are on the voter rolls, and there is widespread confusion about how provisional ballots will be counted and voting rules will be enforced. Then there is a measure that would split the state's nine Electoral College votes, potentially holding up the results of the entire presidential race.

All of this comes in a presidential battleground state that is also deciding a race that could change the balance of power in the Senate. Democratic and Republican officials say they are already assembling teams of lawyers to keep watch at the polls and, if necessary, challenge the results if the battle between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., hinges again on a handful of votes.

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A huge challenge could be looming if Colorado approves the Electoral College ballot measure. Under the proposal, the state would scrap its winner-take-all system for its nine electoral votes and split them up based on how well the candidates fare in the statewide popular vote.

For example, if Bush gets 51 percent of the vote and Kerry 49 percent, the president would receive five electoral votes and the senator four, which could make a big difference in a tight election year. Opponents of that idea already have filed a lawsuit, and more legal challenges could be on the way because the proposal would take effect immediately, if approved.

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