Office of Emergency Management to provide extra election security in El Paso County
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO)—On Monday, November 4, 2024, all ballot boxes and voting centers across the county will have a law enforcement officer nearby to help direct traffic and watch for suspicious activity.
This year El Paso County Clerk and Recorder, Steve Schleiker activated the Pikes Peak Office of Emergency Management (OEM). They keep a 24/7 eye on all ballot boxes to ensure your ballots are safe and secure. You can also watch the ballot boxes on a live stream right now.
"We are streaming those ballot boxes, we actually have law enforcement that are, patrolling those ballot boxes and also patrolling the Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs)," explained Schleiker.
The OEM is also coordinating with local law enforcement. Schleiker says there’s a fine line between voter protection and intimidation, so officers will not be inside the voting centers, but if an emergency were to occur they could be there in a pinch.
He says he decided to activate the OEM when some election judges came to him after the state primary in June saying they wanted to come back but were concerned for their safety.
"They were followed to the bathrooms, they were followed to their cars and they were followed to their homes," said Schleiker, "That is absolutely not tolerated. Nobody should be intimidated or threatened. These are individuals that are just stepping up doing their civic duty, and they're working for all of us to do this election."
All of the extra precautions were put in place by Schleiker to ensure the safety of voters, election workers, and your ballot.
"Cast your ballot, put it in any one of the 41 drop boxes, or visit any of our 38 VSPCs. Please go there and let your voice be heard," Schleiker encouraged.
With snow on the way the OEM is in talks with the City of Colorado Springs and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to make sure busy roads leading to ballot boxes and voting centers are cleared and safe.
