Colorado’s request for a waiver from the Department of Defense for compliance with the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act signed in 2009 was denied late last week, despite arguments from Secretary of State Bernie Buescher:
Colorado Secretary of State Bernie Buescher has ordered county clerks to comply with demands from the federal government after Colorado was denied a waiver to exempt the state from a federal requirement to mail ballots to military service members overseas 45 days before the November election.
Buescher said he asked for the delay to ensure accuracy, but he told county clerks to comply to the best of their ability with the new deadline.
Last month, Buescher appeared on Fox News to defend his decision to seek a waiver:
Buescher faces election law attorney Scott Gessler, a Republican, in this year’s election, who insisted that compliance was simply a matter of doing the business assigned to the Secretary of State:
In an exclusive interview with Battle ‘10, Gessler explained the requirements of the MOVE Act, the proper course of compliance for the state’s individual county clerk and recorders, and the necessity of ensuring ballots are delivered to troops overseas and that maintenance of ballot integrity is critical in tight races: