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Grand County weighs switching voting systems after staff, former clerks urge caution
Summary
After public comment from former election officials and presentations from ClearBallot, Grand County commissioners said they were sympathetic to modernization but cautious about switching mid-learning-curve; commissioners favored waiting until next year to compare vendors and train staff rather than pay $39,000 now to pilot a new system.
Grand County commissioners spent a large portion of their June 24 meeting focused on whether to replace the county's current Dominion Voting System with ClearBallot, hearing detailed public comment and vendor presentations.
Longtime election judge John Bridal told the board the county should address operational shortcomings identified in a consultants' report before replacing what he described as a "tested and true" Dominion system. "Until these critical election issues are addressed and resolved, it's really a fool's errand to change out our ballot system," Bridal said, noting the proposed ClearBallot option appeared to cost about $32,000 more in initial quotes.
Sarah Rosine, who served as Grand County Clerk and Recorder for 32 years, echoed concerns about capacity and risk: "Grand County should not be the test case," she told commissioners, urging that the clerk's office and its election lead be fully prepared before any switch. Rosine questioned whether the two vendor quotes in the packet compared the same features and warned of the training burden for election staff and judges.
ClearBallot representative Matthew Dwyer told the board ClearBallot serves millions of voters nationally, has staff in Colorado and can provide ballot-design services. He said ClearBallot currently programs ballots for many jurisdictions and had recently expanded Colorado staffing to provide more local support. "We're not an unknown entity," Dwyer said, adding his company is prepared to provide a dedicated Colorado contact for Grand County.
County staff summarized competing cost scenarios. In staff's review, a six-year Dominion lease option would total about $168,000, with annual payments varying by year, while ClearBallot's quote was roughly $200,000 over eight years. Commissioners and elections staff also discussed add-ons such as ballot design services (noted in vendor materials as a potential extra charge) and the need for backup scanners or state arrangements for emergency equipment.
Several commissioners said the county is in the middle of a steep learning curve at the clerk's office and that adding an unfamiliar system this year would increase operational risk. One commissioner summarized the prevailing view: "Let's finish this election year with Dominion," and, if the clerk's office recommends a change, revisit the decision during next year's budget and vendor comparison process. Commissioners requested presentations from both vendors during the budget cycle and additional information about training, support and total cost comparisons.
No formal procurement decision or vendor contract was approved at the meeting. The board directed staff to continue work on comparing options, to seek parallel presentations from Dominion and ClearBallot, and to factor training capacity and risk into any future recommendation.
Next steps: commissioners suggested including both vendor presentations in budget hearings and asked elections staff to present a recommended timetable and training plan if the clerk's office seeks a change next year.
