Mission Statement 

“The mission for the Archuleta County Clerk & Recorder’s Office is to fulfill its statutory obligations regarding motor vehicle registration and titling, recording documents, issuing marriage licenses, and holding elections with the highest level of customer service and integrity, in the most cost effective manner possible for the benefit of the citizens of Archuleta County.” 

Description 

The County Clerk & Recorder is the Election Official for Archuleta County.  This position oversees the election process and verifies that the entire process is done within the Federal guidelines, Colorado Revised Statutes and the Colorado Secretary of State’s Rules.  Colorado utilizes a state-wide voting system called SCORE.   

Any special district desiring to be included on any County general ballot has that option.  They would then reimburse the County for their share of the election, based on their percentage of voters and the cost of the election.   

The Clerk & Recorder completes the budget based on requirements from the Board of County Commissioners in an accurate and timely manner. 

Core Services 

The Elections Department processes and maintains voter registration records to ensure that all eligible electors have the opportunity to participate in the democratic process.  Towards this goal, the department establishes precincts (with support from the Board of Commissioners), appoints election judges, prepares election notices, and conducts early and mail voting, assists voters concerning precinct locations, party affiliations and any other way possible.  There is also overseas/out-of-country voting.  This is all done according to the Colorado State Statutes and Colorado Secretary of State’s Rules.  

The initial pertinent federal laws which affect voting systems must be continuously researched for understanding of requirements.  Included in the ongoing research are:  the Voting Rights Act, the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1993 and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). 

All voting equipment is maintained, logged and sealed before, during and after any election.  Specific testing preparation of the equipment is required, according to law.  Logic and Accuracy testing is completed prior to any election, in order to verify the correct ballot styles, issues and questions are being counted correctly.  There is a new regulation that requires the County Clerk to run a Risk Limiting Audit (RLA) after each election.  This is mandatory testing to verify the ballots were counted as intended.