Rocky, Post omitted substance of "transparency" concerns in Dems' call for Coffman to resign

Summary: The Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post reported on January 14 and 15, respectively, that Colorado Democratic Party chairwoman Pat Waak had urged Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman (R) to resign because he had failed "to instill the confidence and trust the voting public deserves." But neither newspaper mentioned that Waak also cited "[a]llegations of impropriety" due to Coffman's ties to a consulting firm that had represented the manufacturer of the only electronic voting machines Coffman certified for use in the 2008 elections.

In reporting on Colorado Democratic Party chairwoman Pat Waak's January 14 call for Republican Secretary of State Mike Coffman to resign because he had failed "to instill the confidence and trust the voting public deserves," the Rocky Mountain News on January 14 and The Denver Post on January 15 failed to mention that Waak's statement also noted, "Allegations of impropriety also have been leveled against the Secretary of State." Those allegations are related to Coffman's connections to a consulting firm, Phase Line Strategies, which represented the only maker of electronic voting machines Coffman has certified as secure for use in the 2008 Colorado elections.

As Colorado Media Matters has noted, Phase Line Strategies president Sean Tonner reportedly is donating the services of his company to Coffman's congressional campaign and also donated $500 to Coffman's 2006 race for secretary of state. The News reported on December 20 that Phase Line's other client, "Premier Election Solutions, formerly Diebold, was the only one of four voting machine companies to have all of its equipment conditionally approved for use in 2008 elections."

The January 14 online News article quoted Waak's press release observing that "there appears to be a lack of transparency when it comes to Coffman's ability to guarantee Coloradans an honest and accurate elections process." But the News did not report the specific allegations of "impropriety" that Waak cited in her press release.

From the article "State Dem leader: Coffman needs to go," published January 14 on the Rocky Mountain News website:

The chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party today called on Republican Secretary of State Mike Coffman to resign, saying his office is operating under a "cloud of controversy" over voting systems.

"The public's confidence in the elections process continues to erode under the watch of this secretary of state," chairwoman Pat Waak said in a statement.

"Coffman has failed miserably in his attempts to instill the confidence and trust the voting public deserves in the elections process. He needs to leave."

[...]

Coffman, who took office in January 2007, pointed out that he inherited the problems. A Denver District Court judge ruled in 2006 that Colorado's voting machines had to undergo a rigorous testing process.

Coffman last December announced the results of that review. He said thousands of machines used in all but 12 counties were too flawed for use in the 2008 elections. He decertified optical-scan equipment used in 49 counties and electronic-voting machines used in six counties, including Denver, Arapahoe and Jefferson.

County clerks in both parties were upset, saying their equipment has been tested.

Waak said "there appears to be a lack of transparency when it comes to Coffman's ability to guarantee Coloradans an honest and accurate elections process."

"He needs to go," she said.

Coffman said, "(Waak) knows I'm not going to allow any voting system to be used unless it is secure and can count every vote."

Similarly, the Post gave an incomplete report of Waak's statement in its "Local politics news briefs" published January 15:

DENVER -- The chairwoman of the state Democratic Party said Monday that Secretary of State Mike Coffman, a Republican, should quit.

"Coffman has failed miserably in his attempts to instill the confidence and trust the voting public deserves in the elections process," Pat Waak said in a statement.

In a statement of his own, Coffman called Waak's statement "goofy" and said he has been following the rules laid out in a court order.

The fate of this year's elections is uncertain after Coffman announced that some voting machines do not meet state standards.

Coffman has said he might be able to get the machines certified in time to use in the election, and legislators will likely consider several bills dealing with how to conduct this year's elections.

In addition to noting that Coffman's office "is under a cloud of controversy deriving from his decision to invalidate much of Colorado's voting equipment" last December, Waak's January 14 press release stated that "[a]llegations of impropriety also have been leveled against the Secretary of State regarding the use of a political consultant advocating for one of the voting machine providers while also providing services in Coffmans [sic] bid to run for congress."

Denver, CO -- Pat Waak, Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, today called for Secretary of State Mike Coffman to resign from his office, which is under a cloud of controversy deriving from his decision to invalidate much of Colorado's voting equipment.

"The public's confidence in the elections process continues to erode under the watch of this Secretary of State whose essential role is to fulfill his responsibilities as the state's chief elections officer," said Waak. "Coffman has failed miserably in his attempts to instill the confidence and trust the voting public deserves in the elections process. He needs to leave."

In recent weeks Coffman has decertified voting machines leaving the majority of Colorado's 64 counties scrambling to figure out how to hold elections. Allegations of impropriety also have been leveled against the Secretary of State regarding the use of a political consultant advocating for one of the voting machine providers while also providing services in Coffmans bid to run for congress.

Recent developments, according to the Denver Post have Coffman suggesting that his first decertification process may have been flawed. His latest antics suggest that a wink and a nod to Denver elections officials may be good enough to certify Denver's voting equipment.

"The Secretary of State is the chief elections officer for all Coloradans therefore the office can be no less than transparent when dealing with the fundamental voting rights of every qualified citizen in our state," said Waak. "There appears to be a lack of transparency when it comes to Coffman's ability to guarantee Coloradans an honest and accurate elections process, he needs to go." [emphases added]

Beyond referencing the controversy over Coffman's campaign having employed Phase Line at the same time the firm represented a company seeking certification of its electronic voting machines from Coffman's office, Waak alluded to a January 9 Post report suggesting that Coffman informally assured Denver Clerk and Recorder Stephanie O'Malley that he would recertify Denver's Sequoia voting machines:

Secretary of State Mike Coffman incorrectly decertified the electronic voting machines used by Denver and Arapahoe County, said Denver Clerk and Recorder Stephanie O'Malley on Tuesday.

In a meeting with a committee of the Denver City Council on Tuesday, O'Malley also relayed that Coffman had told her he would probably certify the machines if she appealed his decision.

O'Malley said Coffman telephoned her on Jan. 2 to tell her he no longer had concerns about the machines in use in Denver.

"He believed there was an error made that led to decertification of those machines," O'Malley said.

—E.B.