Colorado counties receiving $945K in funding to improve election security | Colorado

(The Center Square) – More than $945,000 has been awarded to county clerk places of work all through Colorado to improve election security.

Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, introduced on Tuesday the quantities of the grants coming by means of the Colorado Election Security Act, or Senate Bill 22-153.

“These new resources are critical in increasing security and protecting Colorado’s elections from insider threats and bad actors,” Griswold stated in a commentary. “I am so proud to issue these grants so that Colorado can continue to lead the nation in election security and access.”

Colorado’s legislation is among the first in the country to safeguard in opposition to doable within threats to vote casting apparatus and election methods. Griswold made it a legislative precedence in 2022 after Mesa County’s clerk and recorder made copies of onerous pressure pictures containing election control tool. The information was once later posted on-line.

The invoice was once signed into legislation in June 2022. During two funding cycles, 56 counties have been awarded grants. All counties that carried out for grants gained funding, whilst 8 counties didn’t practice for a grant all through both funding cycle, the SOS place of business stated.

Security necessities in the brand new legislation come with the acquisition, cargo and set up of recent key card methods for rooms that area vote casting methods. The legislation additionally calls for the acquisition, cargo and set up of video security methods and video garage.

The invoice’s fiscal be aware estimated $1.1 million in state finances could be spent to lend a hand counties with compliance beneath the brand new legislation. It estimated key card get admission to methods would vary from $4,000 for a small- or medium-sized county to $8,000 for a big county. Additional cameras have been estimated to value $4,500 for a small county to $25,000 for a big county. Additional video garage was once estimated to value $4,000 for a small county to $100,000 for a big county.

On the Western Slope, Mesa County gained nearly $24,000, whilst Montrose County gained $30,000. Larimer and Weld counties gained the best possible funding quantities at $36,500 each and every.

The new legislation additionally prohibits unauthorized imaging of vote casting apparatus. Tampering with vote casting apparatus is now a prison, along side unauthorized get admission to to or facilitating unauthorized get admission to to vote casting apparatus and knowingly publishing vote casting machine passwords on-line.

Whistleblowers are safe for reporting a breach of election rules beneath the brand new legislation. Enforcement movements initiated by way of the secretary of state are required to go through a judicial evaluate inside of 30 days.