State Limits DOJ Election Monitors in Adams County

The U.S. Department of Justice is sending federal election monitors to Adams County on Election Day, but the state isn’t letting them just walk in.

In a letter sent Thursday, Deputy Secretary of State Andrew Kline told the DOJ that its observers must apply for and receive approval to access “non-public elections spaces.” That includes the areas where mail ballots are processed and voter signatures on those ballots are verified. Under recently updated election rules, anyone granted observer status will receive a letter outlining exactly which areas they can access. They are barred from touching voting equipment, communicating with voters, or taking photos, video, or audio of any election activities.

The DOJ notified election officials in both Adams and Douglas counties on Wednesday that it planned to send observers. The department later clarified that the notice to Douglas County was a mistake.

For context, Adams County is a Democratic-leaning area that will help decide the outcome of a U.S. House race in the 8th Congressional District. That race could determine which party controls Congress. U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, a Republican, is facing Democratic challenger Manny Rutinel.

The Justice Department’s reasoning for targeting Adams County appears in an email from spokesperson Kiersten Pels. She cited a provision in the Voting Rights Act that requires Adams County to have ballots printed in both English and Spanish. She did not elaborate further on why that specific requirement triggered the observer deployment this year, only noting that the work is consistent with “longstanding practice.”

Pels stated that all monitors must meet legal and ethical requirements, including not interfering with the voting process. Their role is to observe for potential violations of federal law and report concerns to the Department, which will review them after Election Day.

Adams County Clerk Josh Zygielbaum noted that the county previously had Department of Justice observers at an election because of its bilingual ballots. But he views this specific deployment differently. He called the move an “intimidation attempt.” His reasoning: the notice didn’t mention any intent to help, and observers are not going to Weld County.

That last point is significant. The Justice Department did not notify Republican-leaning Weld County that it was sending election observers to its polling places, according to Weld County Clerk Carly Koppes. Part of Weld County is also in the 8th District.

Zygielbaum pointed out that the attorney who notified him about the observers works in the trial division of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. He didn’t say more than that, but the omission speaks to the optics of a federal agency singling out one county in a competitive district while ignoring another.

Let’s do the math on what this actually means for locals in Adams County. If you’re voting by mail, your ballot is processed in a non-public space. Federal observers will be there, but they can’t touch the equipment or talk to you. If you’re voting in person at a polling place, the observers are there too, but they can’t take photos or videos of you casting your ballot. The state’s pushback ensures that the observers’ access is defined, limited, and documented before they step through the door.

The practical impact isn’t a change in how you vote or where you vote. It’s a layer of federal presence that the state is actively trying to contain. The DOJ says it’s about compliance with federal law. The county clerk says it’s about pressure. The state says the observers need permission to be in certain rooms.

For folks around here, the bottom line is this: federal eyes will be on Adams County’s election operations on Election Day. The state has drawn a line in the sand regarding where those eyes can look and what they can do. The DOJ has accepted that framework, at least on paper. What happens when the observers are actually in the building is a matter of execution, not policy. The rules are set. The access letters have been issued or will be. The observers are coming.