Colorado now has access to a federal immigration database designed to check the immigration status of voters. Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler says he finalized the agreement Friday with the Department of Homeland Security to use the verification system.
Gessler sent letters to nearly 4,000 registered voters last week who he suspects are ineligible to vote.The letters asks the recipient to either voluntarily withdraw their voter registration or to verify that they are a U.S. citizen.
Gessler says the federal database will be used to verify whether those voters are non-citizens. Florida is already using the federal immigration database. Critics of Gessler's plan worry it could disenfranchise eligible voters.
Republican Secretary of State Scott Gessler has also been working to prevent voter fraud by getting a rule passed banning county clerks from automatically sending mail-in ballots to inactive voters.
Democratic lawmakers say voters who choose to mail in their ballots shouldn’t have to call a County Clerk’s office to receive a ballot just because they’ve skipped an election.
If you're expecting a mail in ballot in November, you may want to double check your voter status.
