2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 1 - ELECTIONS (§§ 1-1-101 — 1-46-106) › GENERAL, PRIMARY, RECALL, AND CONGRESSIONAL VACANCY ELECTIONS (§§ 1-1-101 — 1-17-101) › Article 5.5 - INTERNET-BASED VOTING PILOT PROGRAM FOR ABSENT UNIFORMED SERVICES ELECTORS (§ 1-5.5-101) › Section 1-5.5-101 - Pilot program - internet voting system - absent uniformed services elector - secretary of state - fund - rules

(1)
The secretary of state, in coordination with the county clerk and recorders, shall develop an internet-based voting pilot program to facilitate voting by absent uniformed services electors serving outside the United States commencing with the general election held in 2012. The secretary of state shall select one or more political subdivisions to participate in the pilot program. The internet-based voting system developed for use by political subdivisions that participate in the pilot program shall:
(a)
Transmit encrypted information over a secure network;
(b)
Provide for secure identification and authentication of:
(I)
Any information transmitted on the system; and
(II)
Each designated or coordinated election official of a county or political subdivision and the servers of such officials and all other related electronic equipment being used by the secretary of state and each official in the conduct of elections via the internet;
(c)
Protect the privacy, anonymity, and integrity of each elector's ballot;
(d)
Prevent the casting of multiple ballots via the internet in an election by each elector;
(e)
Provide protection against abuse, including tampering, fraudulent use, and illegal manipulation by electors, election officials, or any other individual or group; and
(f)
Provide uninterrupted and reliable internet availability for the purpose of casting votes via the internet by the electors.
(2)
The secretary of state shall implement the internet-based voting system so that each designated or coordinated election official of a county or other political subdivision participating in the pilot program shall:
(a)
Assure that each absent uniformed services elector serving outside the United States who logs in to vote via the internet is eligible and registered to vote;
(b)
Verify that each elector who logs in to vote via the internet is the same person who is registered and qualified to vote;
(c)
Verify that the votes of the electors transmitted to the election officials via the internet are private and secure and have not been viewed or altered by sites that lie between the voting location and the vote-counting destination;
(d)
Verify that all votes cast via the internet by electors were cast by 7 p.m. mountain standard time on the day of the election; and
(e)
Verify that all votes cast via the internet by electors were indeed counted and attributed correctly to the elector who cast the vote.
(3)
The secretary of state may by rule promulgated in accordance with article
4
of title
24
, C.R.S., establish procedures necessary to implement this article.
(4)
There is hereby created in the state treasury the internet-based voting pilot program fund to provide for the direct and indirect costs associated with implementing this article. The fund consists of any moneys appropriated by the general assembly to the fund and any gifts, grants, and donations to the fund from private or public sources for the purposes of this article. All private and public funds received through gifts, grants, and donations shall be transmitted to the state treasurer, who shall credit the same to the fund. Moneys in the fund shall be subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly to the department of state for the purposes specified in this article. Any unexpended and unencumbered moneys remaining in the fund at the end of any fiscal year shall remain in the fund and shall not be transferred to the general fund or any other fund.
(5)
Repealed.
L. 2009: Entire article added, (HB 09-1205), ch. 383, p. 2078, §2, effective August 5. L. 2012: IP(1) and (4) amended and (5) repealed, (SB 12-062), ch. 97, p. 326, § 2, effective April 12.