DENVER — Three right-wing El Paso County Republicans who lost badly in their June primaries are the latest to ask the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office for recounts in their races.
The candidates — Lynda Zamora Wilson in Senate District 9, Karl O’Brian Dent Sr. in House District 21, and Summer Groubert in House District 18 — filed their requests Monday with the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder's Office, which the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office received Tuesday morning.
The three candidates asked for hand recounts, which is not allowed under Colorado election rules, which state that a recount “must be conducted in the same manner as the original election, meaning tabulation equipment must be used,” the Secretary of State’s Office said.
Their requests follow similar requests from Tina Peters and Ron Hanks, who lost their respective primaries handily and who failed to pay for the estimated cost of a statewide recount. The Secretary of State’s Office gave them another deadline – the close of business Tuesday – to pay the estimated $236,279 for the recount.
Instead, both Peters and Hanks filed new recount requests Tuesday.
All three candidates who submitted recount requests on Monday asked for “a full hand recount” of their race, as well as cast vote records, drop box records, all video surveillance, all records pertaining to signature verification and voting history, and voting system logs. The requests are similar to the ones made by Peters and Hanks.
All three – Wilson, Dent, and Groubert – lost their respective races by at least 30 percentage points, according to official data from the Colorado Secretary of State's Office. Wilson lost to incumbent Sen. Paul Lundeen by 32.8% and 10,092 votes. Dent lost to incumbent Rep. Mary Bradfield by 30.7% and 1,967 votes. Groubert lost to Shana Black by 35.4% and 3,831 votes.
Bradfield was originally left off the ballot after the first district assembly meeting, losing to Dent. But a judge tossed out the first assembly vote and she made the ballot on the second vote, the Colorado Sun reported.
The Secretary of State’s Office will determine the estimated cost of a recount in each case based off quotes from the counties involved in each district’s race.
Colorado statute requires the election official that will conduct the recount to determine the estimated cost of it within a day of receiving the request and notify the candidates of the cost, which would be paid into an escrow.
The three candidates, as well as Peters and Hanks, held a fundraiser in Colorado Springs on Sunday aiming to raise money to pay for a recount, as the Colorado Times Recorder and Colorado Newsline. According to a Colorado Times Recorder reporter, Wilson led a chant earlier this week used by QAnon sympathizers.
“The Secretary of State’s Office will follow all the steps required by Colorado Statute regarding any request for a recount,” the office said in a statement Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the office added that it would provide an update by the end of Tuesday if any other candidates submit recount requests.
