Scott Gessler

Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler says the City Clerk’s Office is well prepared to conduct the April 5 election.

“Following my office’s initial review of the city’s election preparedness, I’m happy to report that the city clerk’s office is well poised for another successful election,” Secretary of State Scott Gessler said today in a statement.

“In particular, the clerk and her staff have established sufficient security protocols and thorough procedures to ensure the integrity of this election,” he said.

The review was triggered by several mayoral and City Council candidates who expressed doubt about City Clerk Kathryn Young’s ability to run the election after a series of missteps.

“I am satisfied with this report,” Buddy Gilmore, one of the mayoral candidates who requested an observer, said in an e-mail.

“I believe this interim report provides a sense of comfort to the voters that the clerk’s office is working diligently to ensure all ballots are handled properly, and that results will be reported accurately,” he said.

Mayoral candidate Brian Bahr’s campaign manager, Kyle Fisk, echoed a similar sentiment.

“The Bahr campaign is pleased to hear this report,” he said, also in an e-mail.

“This is about the voters of Colorado Springs and ensuring they can have the highest confidence in the accuracy of the election results,” he added. “We appreciate the work of the Secretary of State and his office.”

Gessler said his office would continue to observe the election next week to review ballot processing and other procedures.

“Again, I would like to thank City Clerk Kathryn Young and Mayor Lionel Rivera for their warm welcome and cooperation,” he said. “I look forward to continuing our successful working relationship.”

Rivera and Young are holding a press conference at 2:30 p.m. today to comment on the report.

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