Audit to check election outcomes from the June Primary Election

Boulder County, Colo. – The public is invited to observe the Boulder County Election Division’s 2022 Primary Election risk-limiting audit (RLA) beginning on Tuesday, July 12 along with other post-election certification activities*, as detailed below.

While Boulder County and all Colorado counties have conducted post-election audits since 2005, a risk-limiting audit is considered the “gold standard” test of election results. Colorado has been conducting risk-limiting audits since 2017 and was the first state in the nation to conduct a statewide version.

What: Boulder County Risk-Limiting Audit

When: Starting Tuesday, July 12. (see detailed schedule below)

Where: 1750 33^rd Street in Boulder; Please RSVP by Monday evening to Vote@BoulderCountyVotes.org as space is limited; Check in at the Ballot Processing Center. Due to high COVID-19 transmission rates, please note that Boulder County is requiring masks on county property at this time. This is subject to change at any time.

The risk-limiting audit is a test that helps ensure the accuracy of election results and provides the public with evidence that election outcomes reflect the votes cast by voters on their ballots. To ensure tabulation was accurate, the process reviews how a ballot’s votes were captured at the time it was processed by comparing a sample of paper ballots with digital tallies. To learn more about risk-limiting audits, see the Secretary of State’s FAQs on the RLA.

The software that facilitates the risk-limiting audit at the state level is open source, meaning anyone can examine the code themselves and other states are welcome to learn from or build upon it.

Detailed Schedule plus other activities and Canvass RSVP information:

• Monday, July 11 (online only) – Secretary of State’s office provides high-level background on RLA and establishes random seed, which provides the basis for determining which random ballots to pull and audit. Online observation at 9 a.m. Monday (about 15 min process). See Secretary of State notice for link.
• Tuesday, July 12 – 12:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. or until complete – Audit board kick-off, ballot pull, and conduct risk-limiting audit
• Wednesday, July 13 – Time TBD – This is a contingency day if audit is not completed on Tuesday. Thursday is also a contingency day.
• Monday, July 18 – 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.** - Canvass Board meeting (online only) – During the meeting, staff presents data that provides evidence to certify the election. This includes voter registration changes during the election and election results including ballots received versus ballots counted, including mail ballots and in-person ballots. This data is also summarized in the Reconciliation Report. RSVP to Vote@BoulderCountyVotes.org by Monday, July 18 by 10 a.m. to get link to view.

Complete risk-limiting audit details and data will be available on the Secretary of State’s Audit Center after the audit is complete.

The Boulder County Elections Division expects to post complete and official election results and related documentation at the end of the day on Monday, July 18, though the date is subject to change.

* While we are still in the ballot processing period (see this webpage for what the post-election day ballot processing period entails), if vote margins hold, Boulder County Elections expects there will be an automatic recount for the Democratic contest for Boulder County Commissioner – District 3. The recount process will not begin until after the anticipated election certification, which is scheduled for July 18. We will begin the recount planning process next week and will post a schedule on our website when available. In general, we anticipate the recount to take place the week of July 25 and possibly carry over into August 1 and 2. Deadline to complete is August 2.

** This date is dependent on the statewide Risk Limiting Audit being completed in a timely fashion the week prior. Date is subject to change.