Of 3 million casting votes, state finds few cases of fraud
Ten of Colorado’s nearly 3 million voters in the 2016 presidential election may have cast two ballots, while 38 of them might have voted in another state.
Those are among the findings of a study released Friday and conducted by the Colorado secretary of state’s office and four other states that uncovered 112 total instances of possible improper voting during last year’s contest.
The office said in a news release said that the states involved — including Oregon, Washington, Delaware and Maryland — stopped short of saying fraud was committed in all of the cases because further investigation could reveal administrative explanations for the questionable votes.
“A very small percentage of the 2.9 million votes cast in Colorado in the 2016 election look to be improper, but even that small number deserves our vigilant pursuit,” Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams said in a written statement.
Williams’ office says planning for the study began ahead of allegations of voter fraud in the presidential race put forth by President Donald Trump and before the formation of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.
The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office says it is providing information about the 48 instances of possible improper voting, along with other issues like signature problems, to law enforcement.
Conducting their own research following the election, Colorado county election officials previously identified a handful of the 48 cases and provided that information to law enforcement, according to the news release.
At the request of law enforcement, Williams said he is not releasing the names of people who may have improperly participated in the 2016 election or the counties they voted in until the investigation is complete.