Fraud, voter registration problems, Electoral College _ Colorado could be next Florida

Associated Press | October 16, 2004 | JON SARCHE

Colorado could end up writing an ugly sequel to the Florida election nightmare of four years ago.

County clerks have been swamped with a surge in voter registrations, thousands of felons are on the voter rolls, and there is widespread confusion about how provisional ballots will be counted and voting rules will be enforced. Then there is a measure that would split the state's nine Electoral College votes, potentially holding up the results of the entire presidential race.

All of this comes in a presidential battleground state that is also deciding a hotly contested campaign that could change the balance of power in the Senate.

Democratic and Republican officials say they are already assembling teams of lawyers to keep watch at the polls and, if necessary, challenge the results if the battle between President Bush and Democrat John Kerry hinges again on a handful of votes.

'Unless we get a handle on some of these things, Colorado could be even worse than Florida,' said Democrat Mike Feeley, whose race for Congress two years ago went undecided for several weeks while the parties fought in court over how to count provisional ballots. He lost by 121 votes to Republican Bob Beauprez.

'I think it's probably inevitable,' Feeley said of legal battles. 'I hope that's not the case, but everybody's breathing down the secretary of state's neck, everybody's lawyering up and the conditions are right for a number of challenges.'

A huge challenge could be looming if Colorado approves the Electoral College ballot measure. Under the proposal, the state would scrap its winner-take-all system for its nine electoral votes and split them up based on how well the candidates fare in the statewide popular vote.

---