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House passes bill letting candidates designate recount watchers
Summary
House Bill 11-55 passed the Colorado House after sponsors narrowed it to address recounts and allow candidates to designate additional watchers for recounts, sponsors and committee members said.
The Colorado House passed House Bill 11-55 on Tuesday, a bill that clarifies who may serve as election watchers during recounts and allows candidates to designate an additional watcher to the existing watcher list.
Representative Bradfield, the bill sponsor, said the bill is "really very simple": it gives a candidate in a recount the option of choosing a watcher rather than leaving that exclusive selection to the county party. Representative Bri Espinosa said committee amendments narrowed the bill to address only recounts and that clerks and recorders participated in drafting the amended language, which the committee appreciated for clarifying transparency in recount procedures.
Committee members said the amendment removes earlier provisions and focuses solely on recounts so that candidates can ensure their preferred representative is present during the recount. The committee report was adopted and the bill passed on the floor after no further discussion.
The transcript record does not include a roll-call tally for final passage on the floor; committee discussion noted support from clerks and recorders for the narrower recount-focused language.
