Election Judges

Thank you for joining us as a certified Watcher! This guide gives election watchers a brief overview of Watcher rights, roles, and responsibilities under Colorado law, Secretary of State rule, and Pueblo County Elections policy as well as a description of the elections activities a watcher may observe in a vote center or in the ballot processing room.

The appointing authority for Watchers changes by type of election.

A Watcher can be appointed by the following entities:

Coordinated Election

• Candidates for office (certified by candidate)
• Proponents and opponents of a ballot issue (certified by proponent or opponent)

General Election

• Each political party participating in the election (certified by chairperson)
• Each participating issue committee on the ballot (certified by committee/representative)
• Unaffiliated or Write-in Candidates on the ballot (certified by candidate)

Primary Election

• Each political party participating in the election (certified by chairperson)
• Candidates for nomination on the ballot (in precincts where they are a candidate, certified by candidate)

Required Credentials:

• Certificate of Appointment for the current year
• Proof of Completion of approved Watcher Class
• Must be an eligible voter

All Watchers MUST wear the Watcher Badge and lanyard provided by the Pueblo County Elections office at ALL times while on duty.

These items must be delivered to the Pueblo County Elections office by the deadlines listed below. No exceptions will be made.

Important Deadlines for Required Credential Submission:

• June 12, 2026            Deadline to submit required credentials for pre-Election Day activities
• June 29, 2026            Deadline to submit required credentials for watchers on Election Day

🚨 Important: Watchers who miss the submission deadline will not be permitted to watch during this election.  🚨

       A Watcher may watch the following processes per Election Rule 8.10.2:

• Setup and breakdown of Voter Service and Polling Centers.
• Voter check-in and registration activities.
• Ballot receipt and processing, including ballot drop-off at a drop box.
• Signature verification of mail ballot envelopes.
• Ballot duplication.
• Ballot tabulation.
• The post-election audit.
• Provisional ballot processing.
• UOCAVA ballot processing.
• Canvass.
• Recount.
• Ballot printing and mailing preparation that occur at the county clerk’s office.

ALL Election Rules, Title 1 Statutes, and Pueblo County Elections House Rules MUST be adhered to or a Watcher will be removed. See the next section for more details on what is permitted and what is not.

Observation of Ballot Processing

Each election station is identified by a sign.

With the exception of Voter Service and Polling Centers, all election processes take place in areas within the Elections Office. Ballot deconstruction and signature verification take place in an area called Ballot Processing Center.

Mail Ballot Receiving

Ballots in their envelopes are processed through a sorting machine (AGILIS) that does the following:

• Scans the barcode and takes an image of the envelope and clips and isolates the voter signature for comparison in the signature verification process.
• Date stamps the envelope.
• Batches the envelopes into quantities of 50.

Batches are numbered and a batch tracking form that will follow the batch through every process is put with the batch.

On an administrative computer, files from the sorter are sent to the secure voter registration system (SCORE) and used to:

• Assign the voter vote credit for voting and assign them a received status.
• Process & batch any ballots rejected after Tier 1, and conduct Tier 2 signature verification, when necessary.
• Resolve any labeling exceptions such as ballot identifier/ misreads.
• Other clerical or administrative duties as needed.

After receiving the batches, trays of sealed ballots are labeled and then securely taken to the Ballot Processing Center.

Signature Verification and Duplication (Ballot Processing Center)

Two (2) signature verification computers are staffed by a team of bipartisan judges specifically trained for signature verification. This training is based on practices developed by signature verification/security experts in the field.

What are the judges doing at the two computers in this area?

• Tier 1 Signature Verification
  • Election judges verify signatures on EVERY ballot envelope to the voter’s most recent signature on file in the SCORE database.
  • Judges accept or challenge the signature. Challenged signatures escalate to Tier 2 for review.
• Tier 2 Signature Verification
  • A bipartisan team of judges review all challenged signatures and adjudicate them. A Voter’s signature can only be rejected if both judges agree it should be rejected. This process is completed and from the administrative computer the information is uploaded again to SCORE.
  • If a signature is rejected or if the envelope doesn’t have a signature, a letter is sent to the voter. The voter has until eight (8) days after Election Day to cure their signature with an affidavit and a copy of their identification.
• Duplication
  • Periodically it is necessary for a ballot to be duplicated or reproduced onto a ballot of the appropriate style. Some reasons for duplicating a ballot:
    • Ballots may be damaged and cannot be read properly.
    • Transmitted ballots for military overseas voters need to be duplicated onto a scannable ballot.
  • Bipartisan teams of Election Judges account for the duplication and log the process.
  • Rejected ballots are batched and secured, unopened, until the cure period expires and are then accounted for and retained.

Deconstruction (Ballot Processing Center)

Ballot Opening

The Ballot Processing Center is arranged for several bipartisan pairs of Election Judges to remove and process ballots from the envelope. This process is conducted in a way that protects voter anonymity. In addition, the Election Judges will inspect the ballots and remove ballots that may be/contain:

• Damaged
• Ambiguous or identifying marks.
• Envelopes with more than one ballot
• Envelopes with no ballots

The Election Judges complete the batch tracking form to document all activity and strictly account for and reconcile the number of ballots in the batch.

The ballots, removed and separated from the envelopes and any identifying information, are batched and stored for the next step in the process.

Tabulation and Adjudication

Tabulation

After the ballots have been processed at the Ballot Processing Center, they are sealed and securely transported to Tabulation. Scanning and tabulation are administered on a computer on an isolated network that is air-gapped and not connected to the internet. There is a scanner that scans the accepted batches and takes a digital image of all the ballots for tabulation. The batches are recorded on a ballot manifest for reconciliation and reconciled with the batch accounting form. IMPORTANT: The Results are not collated until election night after the close of polls at 7 p.m.

Adjudication

Periodically, you will observe a bipartisan team of Election Judges adjudicating on a portrait (vertical) screen any ballots that need resolution of voter intent. Colorado law gives the voter every opportunity to have their votes accurately counted. Some examples of ballots that are adjudicated:

• A race is overvoted: if a voter votes for more than one candidate or makes more than one selection in a contest that only permits one vote.
• Completely blank ballot: verification that it is blank. A voter may not choose to select any votes but wish to receive credit for voting.
• Review and confirmation all write-ins are certified candidates.
• Ambiguously marked ballots.

Waiting for RLA (Risk Limiting Audit)

Once the ballots are scanned, they are sealed and securely transported from Tabulation to a secure storage area to await the risk limiting audit of the election prior to certification. After certification and the conclusion of any recount, if applicable, the ballots are securely stored and retained for twenty-five (25) months.

Watching at the Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs)

The same process and rules apply to watchers in vote centers as in the ballot counting facility. In addition:

• A watcher may have reasonable proximity to election activities except:
  • A watcher must remain outside the immediate voting area while an elector is voting. A six (6) foot limit applies to voting.
• Remember that while a Watcher is in view of personally identifiable information (PII), they may not use their cell phones in any capacity.

Watching at Drop-boxes

Election judges or election staff collect ballots from the 24/7 drop boxes and other official drop boxes located in the election office or the vote centers. Ballots are put into secure transfer boxes that are then sealed and the seal numbers are logged. All ballots are transferred to the AGILIS Room where other teams of judges, or staff, verify the seals with the chain of custody log.

Rules and Conduct of Watchers

Open Carry and Intimidation

Prohibitions on Concealed Carry in or Near Election Facilities (SB24-131)

Colorado law has prohibited anyone from openly carrying a firearm within 100 feet of certain election-related facilities. See C.R.S. § 1-13-724. The new Act amends that prior law so that carrying a concealed firearm in those same places is now also prohibited. In other words, all firearms, whether openly carried or concealed, are prohibited within 100 feet of election-related facilities.

The law prohibits any firearms at the following locations:

• Within 100 feet of any drop box while voting is ongoing;

• Inside a polling location or within 100 feet of any building which contains a polling location while voting is ongoing; and,

• Inside a central count facility or within 100 feet of any building which contains a central count facility while any ongoing election administration activity is occurring for an active election.

This prohibition does not apply to the following persons:

• Individuals who own private property within a 100-foot zone while travelling directly between their property and a place outside the zone;

• Building or facility uniformed security acting in the scope of contractual authority; and,

• Security personnel for constitutional officers while engaged in their official duties.

There is no ability for local governmental bodies to opt out of these requirements.

Violations of the statute are misdemeanor offenses. For the first conviction, the maximum penalty is a $250 fine and up to 120 days in a county jail. For any subsequent conviction, the maximum penalty is a $1,000 fine and up to 364 days in a county jail.

The Vote Without Fear Act (HB22-1086) – passed in the 2022 legislative session – prohibits a person from openly carrying a firearm within any polling location or central count facility, or within 100 feet of a ballot drop box or any building in which a polling location or central county facility is located, while an election or any related ongoing election administration activity is in progress.

**Exceptions include uniformed security guards and for a person who owns private property within the 100-foot buffer zone**

Unlawful Carrying of a Firearm at a Polling Location or Drop Box – C.R.S. § 1-13-724

“It is unlawful for any person to openly carry a firearm, as defined in section 18-1-901 (3)(h), within any polling location, or within one hundred feet of a drop box or any building in which a polling location is located, as publicly posted by the designated election official, on the day of any election or during the time when voting is permitted for any election. The designated election official responsible for any central count facility, polling location, or drop box involved in that election cycle shall visibly place a sign notifying persons of the one-hundred foot no open carry zone for firearms required pursuant to this section. (b) It is unlawful for any person to openly carry a firearm, as defined in section 18-1-901 (3)(h), within a central count facility, or within one hundred feet of any building in which a central count facility is located, during any ongoing election administration activity related to an active election conducted by the designated election official, as publicly posted by the designated election official. Any person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor . . .”

Voter Intimidation – C.R.S. § 1-13-713

“It is unlawful for any person directly or indirectly, by himself or by any other person in his behalf, to impede, prevent, or otherwise interfere with the free exercise of the elective franchise of any elector or to compel, induce, or prevail upon any elector either to give or refrain from giving his vote at any election provided by law or to give or refrain from giving his vote for any particular person or measure at any such election. Each such offense is a misdemeanor . . .”

Actions that could constitute intimidation and/or interference include:

1. Blocking or impeding a voter’s entrance to a Vote Center
2. Questioning voters about their citizenship or qualifications to vote as they enter a Voter Center
3. Asking voters for IDs or documentation as they enter a Vote Center
4. Disseminating false or misleading information
5. Confronting voters
6. Brandishing weapons
7. Violence or threatening violence
8. Shouting or using threatening, offensive, or abusive language or behavior

Interference with Election Official – C.R.S. § 1-13-701

“Any person who, at any election provided by law, interferes in any manner with any election official in the discharge of his duty or who induces any election official to violate or refuse to comply with his duty or any law regulating the same is guilty of a misdemeanor... ”

Pueblo County House Rules for Watchers & Acknowledgement

A Watcher MAY:

• Speak ONLY with a Supervisor Judge (VSPC or BPC) or Elections Staff.
• Be present in the VSPC daily, from the time Election Judges arrive until the Center closes at the end of the day, including observing closing procedures and breakdown of the VSPC. Election Rule 8.10.2
• Observe voting activities from at least 6 feet away from any voting booth, voting equipment, or ballot box. C.R.S. 1-5-503
• Hear election discussions between Election Judges and electors at the VSPCs. Election Rule 8.10.2
• Observe voter check-in and registration activities or view Personally Identifiable Information (PII) including voters’ names, addresses, and signatures ONLY if the watcher has completed the Secretary of State Election Watcher Training Course and presented a Certificate of Completion for the training. Election Rule 8.1.5
• Challenge a voter’s right to vote based on citizenship, residence, or age, and unmitigated a Voter Challenge Form. (Oral challenges are not allowed.) C.R.S. 1-9-201
• Track the names of electors who have cast ballots by using previously obtained voter lists. Contact the Clerk’s office for a voter list. Election Rule 8.12

A Watcher may NOT:

• Attempt to determine how any elector voted!
• Disclose any results before the polls are closed!
• Disclose or record any confidential voter information that he or she may observe.
• Act in a manner deemed abusive or threatening toward election officials, voters, Elections Staff, or Election Judges. Election Rule 8.6.1.
• Write down any ballot numbers or any other personally identifying information about the electors. Election Rule 8.14.2
• Interrupt or disrupt the processing, verification, and counting of any ballots or any other stage of the election, including lodging repeated challenges of voters or mail ballots on bases that are not authorized by statute or these Rules after being advised that such bases are not authorized. Election Rule 8.14.1
• Touch or handle the official signature cards, ballots, mail ballot envelopes, provisional ballot envelopes, voting or counting machines, or machine components. Election Rule 8.14.3
• Interfere with the orderly conduct of any elections process, including the issuance of ballots, receiving of ballots, and voting or counting of ballots. Election Rule 8.14.4
• Communicate with election judges about that judge’s duties while that election judge is currently on duty unless they are designated watcher contact. Election Rule 8.14.5
• Have discussions or dialogue with other Watchers in any area where election processes are taking place.
• Have discussions or dialogue with anyone other than the Supervisor Election Judges or Elections Staff in any area where election processes are taking place. This includes other Watchers, Election Judges who are not of supervisor status, Student Election Judges, and voters.
• Use a mobile phone or other electronic devices to make or receive audio or video communication in any polling location or other place election activities are conducted. Election Rule 8.14.6
• Watchers cannot be a candidate nor members of their immediate families by blood, marriage, or civil union to the second degree (Section 1-7-108 (2) C.R.S.)
• Argue with or defy any Elections Staff.

A county clerk MUST revoke the certificate of the watcher if they violate their oath or any of the Colorado Revised Statutes or Election Rules. A Watcher will be removed if any of the previous rules (whether C.R.S. or Pueblo County Elections Office House Rules) are violated. The Clerk and Recorder reserves the right to remove any watcher from their role at any time. (Section 1-13.5-602 (4) C.R.S.)

Acknowledgement

I have read and understand all aforementioned rules of the Pueblo County Elections Office, Colorado Revised Statutes, and Election Rules.  I understand that if I violate any of the rules or procedures described in this guide, statute, or election rule, I will be removed as a Watcher for the duration of the election and potentially any future elections at the Clerk and Recorder’s discretion.