Concerning establishing a program for third-party credit bureau voter address verification administered by the secretary of state.
Summary
HB 26-1104 would require the Colorado secretary of state to run an additional annual voter address verification process using a third-party credit bureau. In addition to the existing monthly change-of-address search, the secretary would send limited voter registration data—name, birth year, and residential address—for all electors in the statewide voter registration list, except for participants in the address confidentiality program and confidential voters, including enrolled first responders. The credit bureau would compare the information against its database, identify address discrepancies, and return a list of affected electors to the secretary within specified deadlines.
The bill also requires the secretary of state to contract with the credit bureau under procurement rules and to include security and nondisclosure protections. The agreement must prohibit the bureau from selling or disclosing the voter data and must treat the bureau as if it were another government agency for purposes of data-security requirements. The secretary may adopt rules to implement the program, and the bill states that the new process does not alter federal NVRA requirements or existing voter record maintenance procedures.
Impact
The bill would amend Colorado Revised Statutes section 1-2-302.5 to add a new statewide address-search mechanism for voter registration maintenance. It would expand the secretary of state’s authority and duties by requiring annual data transmission to a private credit bureau, while preserving county clerks’ discretion to review discrepancies and take action under existing law. The measure would not itself change a voter’s registration based on the bureau’s results, but it would create a new source of address data that counties could use to investigate potential updates or removals consistent with current law.
Sentiment
Based on the available context, the bill appears to have faced skepticism or lack of support in committee, as it was postponed indefinitely in the House Committee on State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs. No vote tally or transcript is available, so the broader debate cannot be reconstructed in detail. The bill’s structure suggests its supporters likely viewed it as a voter-roll maintenance and data-verification tool, while its committee outcome indicates concerns were significant enough that the proposal did not advance.
Contention
The main points of contention likely involve privacy, data security, and the use of a private credit bureau to handle voter information. The bill limits the data shared and imposes nondisclosure and security requirements, but critics may still object to transmitting voter records outside government and to relying on commercial databases for election administration. Additional concerns may include the accuracy of credit bureau data, the risk of erroneous address matches affecting voters, and the exclusion of protected groups such as address confidentiality program participants and confidential voters. Supporters would likely emphasize improved address verification and election list maintenance, while opponents would focus on privacy and the potential for mistaken or burdensome voter-roll actions.