November 17th, 2008

A bit of a follow up to my recent post about the continuing issues with Adams County and their inability to post timely election results.  In an article in the Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel last Thursday, the paper talked to county officials about the problem. 

Just as I predicted, Karen Long, the Adams County Clerk and Recorder, blamed a rush of absentee ballots.  Sound familiar?  It should as this excuse has been used by the county in every election in recent years.  Long is quoted as saying, “Election day is not election day anymore in this day and age.  To think you are going to get results the night of is ludicrous.”

I find that response almost comical!  In ‘this day and age’ everything happens faster and with greater efficiency than in years past.  And yet that somehow doesn’t apply to Adams County election results?  Rather than admit there is an issue and working to address it, Ms. Long continues the long standing tradition of reciting something akin to “it’s not my fault.” 

The county continues to have these issues and as the article points out, uses incorrect phrasing on its website by saying 100% of the precincts were reported when that wasn’t the case.  The county seems to have applied a completely different meaning to it that no one else understands.  As the counting progressed, they even had to post a clarification on their website saying the 100% number means, “every precinct in Adams County has votes cast. It does not indicate we are reporting 100 percent of our unofficial results yet.”  HUH?  It’s election day – of course everyone has votes cast.  <sigh> 

Adams County took 25 hours to count 156,654 ballots.  By contrast, El Paso County took only eight hours to count 265,828.  And yet it is “ludicrous” for us to expect timely election results from Adams County?  Hmmm. 

http://www.tonysrants.com/denver/adams-county-responds-to-slow-election-results/