Colorado State Archives

Executive Orders from the Administration of Governor Bill Owens 1999-2005

(DENVER) – Gov. Owens today welcomed the decision by Denver District Court Judge Morris B. Hoffman in Colorado Common Cause et al. v. Donetta Davidson upholding the requirement that citizens present identification at the polls.

"Today's decision is an important victory for helping Colorado ensure the integrity of next month's elections," said Owens. "With Democrats and Republicans raising concerns about potential voter fraud, it is essential that we have a common-sense mechanism to make sure that voters who come to vote are indeed who they say they are—and that they vote only once. Simply having to show a valid ID to vote—which Coloradans do, for example, to cash a check or board an airplane—is hardly a burdensome requirement. I commend Judge Hoffman on his ruling."

The court found that the requirement to show identification was reasonable under federal and state law. It also reinforced the constitutionality of precinct voting. Judge Hoffman wrote, "At the moment, if I were to try to design a system that maximizes the chances that fraudulent and ineligible registrants will be able to become fraudulent voters, I'm not sure I could do a better job than what [Common Cause et al.] are asking me to do in this case—allow voters to vote wherever they want without showing identification."

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