EL PASO COUNTY — With concern for the safety of election workers and voters alike, El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleiker is taking unprecedented action: he's activated the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management (OEM) ahead of November's election.
"When I talked to my neighbors, family members, friends, voters here in the community, there is a lot of anxiety, you know, basically heightened for this particular election," Schleiker said.
The anxiety doesn't come without lived experience for Schleiker either, he said his office has seen numerous threats directed at election workers.
"That is just one thing that I take very seriously is to ensure everybody is safe," Schleiker said. He believes other counties could be following suit.
A Presidential election is a larger-scale event compared to primaries or midterm elections. For example, in June's primary the Clerk and Recorder's office had about 250 election workers, November's election will have 800. Instead of nine voter service and polling centers (VSPCs) in June, there will be 38.
"For me to sit there and know that we're going to have a very large turnout, there's going to be much participation, a lot of traffic, things like that, to me is like, you know what, let me turn this over to the individuals who know how to operate this," Schleiker said.
The total cost of the election in El Paso County will be about $2.7 million according to Schleiker. He said most of that will be reimbursed by the state. When it comes to activating the OEM, he said it doesn't cost taxpayers additional money, except in cases of overtime for law enforcement, but even that is likely to be reimbursed by the state.
The OEM will be able to provide resources, whether security or even hazmat resources, the Clerk and Recorder said it's seen two instances just this year where that was needed.
"We have received two ballots that had one of them in the March 5th presidential primary, had blood all over it. And then the one in the last one, the June 25th, had urine all over it," Schleiker said, "that is a big ask of my staff and also the election judges. I will tell you, is they did not gripe. We followed every protocol to ensure that voters vote was counted."
Those ballots were also turned over to the District Attorney's office to investigate. Schleiker said his belief is that by activating the OEM leading up to and through the election, he's taking a proactive approach.
"What my hopes are, everything that we have done up to today and leading up to the election is for naught," Schleiker said.
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