Rio Grande County Clerk & Recorder

A message from the Rio Grande County

Clerk & Recorder

Dear Rio Grande County Voters:

After researching Colorado State-certified voting systems, Rio Grande County has selected the Hart Voting System to meet the voting system requirements of the 2002 federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA). This law also appropriated funds to assist with the purchase of new systems. 

Beginning with the August 8 Primary Election, the Hart Voting System will replace our previous voting system.  The new voting system has two components:  the eScan for paper ballots and the eSlate for accessible voting.  Both will be available our polling place, so you may use either system.

I want to take this opportunity to share some facts with you about the Hart Voting System and to provide simple instructions on this website that will show you how to use the new system.

Our system is secure.  From the creation and proofing of our ballot to the tabulation of votes at my office, security measures are in place to ensure no unauthorized individual has access to the system.  Neither the vote tabulation program nor any other component of the Hart Voting System is ever connected to the Internet or an external network.

Our system is accurate.  The Hart Voting System’s verifiable, accessible eSlate uses a state-of-the-art optical encoder, called the SELECT wheel to navigate through the ballot.  This technology provides 100% positional accuracy at all times.  The eScan uses digital scanning technology that provides a wider range of accuracy than optical scanning.

Our system is accessible.  The eSlate meets all federal accessibility requirements, so now people with disabilities, including those who are blind, mobility impaired, or have limited-upper body dexterity or strength can vote privately and independently, a fact many of us take for granted.  

Our system is easy to use.  Whether voting on a paper ballot using the eScan or voting on the accessible eSlate, a review of the system on this website will show how simple each is to use. And both the eScan and the eSlate will allow you to review and change your vote before casting it.

Our system is voter verifiable. As required by state law, the eSlate will be connected to a verifiable ballot option that allows each voter to view a summary of how they voted printed on paper.

In an effort to ensure all voters are aware of the new voting system and how to use it, we will be providing voter education through a number of venues, including some of the following:  live demonstrations, newsletters, websites, emails, newspapers, and instructions at the polling place. 

If you want to see how to use the eSlate, be sure to try the flash demo on this website.   Also available on this site are slideshows and videos of how to use the eSlate for accessible voting or the eScan to count and store your paper ballot.

As always, if you have questions about the new system or would like to find out more about becoming a poll worker, please call us at (719) 657-3334.

Sincerely,

Sandra J. Jackson

Sandra J. Jackson
Rio Grande County Clerk and Recorder