Colorado election officals beg DHS for help in purging voter rolls
Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler is intensifying his efforts to root out and remove any noncitizens from the state’s voter rolls before the November election — and this time, he has the backing of Attorney General John Suthers and top elections officials in 11 other states.
Gessler and Suthers sent separate letters to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano Monday, again asking DHS to help the state verify the citizenship status of about 5,000 Colorado voters. Suthers’ letter also states that DHS is required under federal law to provide the information, and that the U.S. Supreme Court reiterated that requirement in its recent decision on Arizona’s immigration law.
Opponents of Gessler’s efforts say they amount to voter intimidation and could keep eligible voters — particularly Latinos, who are expected to play a big role in deciding the election in states such as Colorado — from going to the polls. Those voters lean heavily Democratic.
Critics also say trying to compare federal and state databases could lead to errors in matching names and citizenship information — resulting in some voters improperly losing their Constitutional right to cast a ballot — and that the problem is not nearly big or serious enough to make that risk worthwhile.
Never you mind. This does have everything to do with Obama taking Colorado in 2008.