El Paso County clerk outlines security upgrades, ballot tracking and post‑2024 recount steps

El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleicher told a crowd at the Citizen Service Center that the county has tightened election operations after a record turnout and a mandatory recount in the November 2024 cycle.

Schleicher said the Elections Department has replaced ballot‑box cameras and now streams footage for public viewing, upgraded tabulation equipment so CPUs are air‑gapped and caged, and introduced more rigorous pre‑, during‑ and post‑election audits. "We put a media release out. We're letting everybody know, hey, come on in. Come watch the whole entire process," Schleicher said.

Why it matters: El Paso County is Colorado's largest voting jurisdiction and saw unusually high activity in 2024, including more than 36,000 in‑person voters and a mandatory recount that produced the closest state legislative race recorded in Colorado history. Those pressures prompted the county to invest in transparency and in systems intended to reduce misinformation, accelerate ballot tracking and help field voter questions during high‑volume elections.

Major changes and how they work

- Ballot‑box cameras and public streaming: Schleicher said the county replaced older cameras on its ballot boxes with a streamed system funded in part by HAVA grant money. The county previously had about 38–41 boxes and is preparing to expand to 44. Schleicher said…