Colorado Springs resident cited for election interference after ‘small electronic device’ found inside ballot
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KROD) - The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) says they have cited a resident with Election Interference after a small electronic device was found within a ballot that was trying to be counted by election judges.
On October 23, CSPD says that El Paso County hazmat teams were called out to a ballot counting office in Colorado Springs for the report of a ballot having stopped election machinery, due to some kind of object inside the envelope.
El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleiker told KRDO13 on Monday, he initially believed the object to be a GPS tracking device that was inside the ballot, which was delivered to a County drop box, before it arrived at the counting center. CSPD has since confirmed that it was not a GPS device, but rather "a small, electronic device that was not dangerous".
Police explains that they assumed the investigation that began at the El Paso County Citizens Center along Garden of the Gods Road, after election employees reported an object had disrupted one of their signature verification machines.
El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleiker, explained to KRDO13 on Monday, how the ballot caught their attention:
"So what happens is when [the ballot] goes through the signature verification, it's on a belt. And if the ballot is beyond a certain width, the machine will stop automatically... going, something is wrong here. Something's inside this ballot." said Schleiker. "So it stops. We retrieve that ballot. We, you know, the judges in my staff, will sit there and feel that ballot, and they're going, something is actually in here." he explains.
From there, Schleiker says election judges put on masks and gloves, and the ballot was placed into a biohazard bag. Then, the Clerk and Recorder says they called the county's Office of Emergency Management, who responded initially, before turning the investigation over to the Colorado Springs Fire Department who also arrived on scene, since the call came from within their jurisdiction.
CSPD says that the entire process shut down the election office for roughly 60 to 90 minutes. Ultimately, they were able to figure out the Colorado Springs resident who sent that device within the ballot, and cited them with a misdemeanor charge of Election Interference.
"When you shut down a whole entire election process for several hours for hazmat to test everything, it is a chargeable crime." affirmed Schleiker.
Schleiker clarified the person's ballot is still counted as valid, despite the disruption.
Schleiker stated that he has had to make two calls to hazmat to address situations in the county's election offices, which includes the small electronic device.
A spokesperson for the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder's office stated that a second incident is still under investigation, but will not provide any comment on it. CSPD and El Paso County Sheriffs, however, told KRDO13 that they were not aware of a second call for hazmat services recently.
