HB 24-1279

House Bill 24-1279 in Colorado introduces a system using distributed ledgers (think of it like a digital public record) for tracking votes. When you vote in person or by mail, you receive a unique, anonymous number that follows your ballot through the voting process. This number helps verify your eligibility to vote and ensures your ballot is counted correctly. The bill allows anyone to check these records online to make sure everything is done fairly and accurately. Since it has been signed into law, this system will now be implemented for future elections in Colorado.

Official Summary

A distributed ledger is a permanent database that is consensually shared, synchronized, and publicly accessible. A distributed ledger allows information to be entered into a publicly available common database from multiple locations at different times. The bill establishes a system for the use of distributed ledgers in elections. In the case of an elector who votes in person: A vetting registrar, in the presence of a vetting registration observer team, verifies that the elector is eligible to vote and updates the voter eligibility status distributed ledger to reflect this process; A token assignment registrar, in the presence of a token assignment observer team, assigns the elector a vote tracking number, which is a unique, randomly assigned, anonymous, text identifier, and updates the token assignment status which causes the vetting registrar to update the voter eligibility status distributed ledgers to reflect the assignment. This vote tracking number is part of the ballot. The elector completes the elector's ballot and the vote tracking number is attached to that ballot whether beforehand or at that time; and An election official ensures that the elector is provided with a copy of the elector's ballot and the elector's vote tracking number. In the case of an elector who votes by mail: A vetting registrar, in the presence of a vetting registration observer team, notifies the elector that the elector's ballot which contains a unique, randomly assigned, anonymous vote tracking number has been received and will only be counted after the elector acknowledges the ballot's receipt; If the elector confirms the receipt of the elector's ballot with the vetting registrar, in the presence of the vetting registration observer team, the vetting registrar shall indicate this confirmation on a voter eligibility form attached to the ballot and update the voter eligibility status distributed ledger to reflect the confirmation; and A token assignment registrar, in the presence of a token assignment observer team, assigns the ballot a vote tracking number, and updates the token assignment status, which causes the vetting registrar to update the voter eligibility status distributed ledgers to reflect the assignment. Before any ballot is counted, it is verified, in the presence of a token assignment observer team, that a unique vote tracking number is attached to the ballot. Upon counting a ballot, unless the ballot is counted as part of a manual count, a cast vote record of the ballot including the vote tracking number must be created and entered into the cast vote record distributed ledger. The public may access the various distributed ledgers described in the bill to confirm that the approach in the bill is followed and that votes are counted accurately. The public may also access a tally status report distributed ledger as votes are counted to track election results. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)