Park County commissioners voted 2–1 on Aug. 20, 2025, to appoint County Clerk Mel Castle as the customer project manager under provision 5.2 of the county's 2016 Dominion Voting Systems contract as Dominion prepares to replace and upgrade voting equipment later this month.

The decision follows a weeks‑long inquiry by commissioners into whether the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) can appoint a customer project manager separate from the county clerk. Commissioners framed the appointment as fulfilling the “customer responsibilities” language in section 5.2 of the contract; the county clerk and county attorney said the board lacked definitive written direction from the Secretary of State’s office on that point.

Commissioners debated whether the appointment would conflict with Title 1 election‑related rules and Title 30 contracting authority, and whether a designee would need the same certification, background checks and access as the clerk. County Attorney Christy Fitch told the board she had provided legal advice to the commissioners and had contacted the Secretary of State for clarification but had not received a full response. Clerk Mel Castle said the Secretary of State has communicated that the clerk is the project manager for elections and stated, “I am the project manager, and you can appoint somebody. The secretary of state said I am the project manager. You as county commissioners cannot appoint a project manager.”

Commissioners said their reading of section 5.2 — which assigns the customer project manager responsibility for review, analysis and acceptance of the voting system and gives that appointee access to the customer’s top management for issue resolution — implied they could name an appointee. Commissioners discussed appointing County Manager Lucas Meyer but withdrew an earlier motion; they then moved to appoint Castle “at this time,” noting the appointment could be changed later if clarification from the Secretary of State or Dominion required it.

The BOCC recorded the motion to appoint Mel Castle and voted to adopt it; the motion carried by voice 2–1. (The meeting transcript records the tally as “Motion carries 2 to 1.” Names associated with each vote were not specified in the public transcript.)

Commissioners raised operational concerns tied to the upcoming installation, which was discussed as scheduled for Aug. 26, 2025. Commissioners said Dominion plans to replace several items — including an EMS Express server kit, ImageCast central workstations and scanners — and that the contract’s second amendment states the equipment provided “has been certified by the state of Colorado [and] has no Wi‑Fi capabilities” and that old equipment will be picked up at a mutually agreed time. Commissioners and the clerk also discussed how voter data and device logs are backed up after an election, with the clerk describing nightly backups to thumb drives and a secure J drive accessible only to certified election staff.

The board directed that the appointment stands for the current period and that the BOCC may revisit the designation pending any further written clarification from the Secretary of State or Dominion. Commissioners and staff said they want confirmation that equipment arriving for the Aug. 26 work will contain no Wi‑Fi or Bluetooth functionality and that removal of old equipment will not unlawfully remove or compromise the county’s election records.