The Independent View: Denver Elections Division Creates Mobile Petition App eSign

Thanks to Richard Winger of Ballot Access News for this post.

The Denver Elections Division has launched eSign, a first-in-the-nation mobile petition signing application.

The secure app modernizes the signature gathering process by giving candidates the option of using tablets signed with a stylus to gather petition signatures if they choose to opt-in. Otherwise, candidates can utilize the traditional paper petition process.

“This cutting edge application has the potential to transform the petition process - providing easier access to the ballot and efficiencies never seen before in this country,” said Denver Clerk Debra Johnson. “For years the hallmark of Denver Elections has been innovation and progress - 2015 will be no different. This bold approach has one thing in mind: our customers.”

If a candidate chooses to use eSign, their circulators would gather signatures on a tablet that is registered with the Denver Elections Division. The tablets would then be returned to Elections HQ, the signature pages would be printed out, placed in a packet and then the signatures would be verified using the processes required by law.

Petition circulators will be able to confirm that a signer is a registered voter because the app interfaces with a voter database and they will also be able to tell at a glance how many signatures they’ve gathered since the app keeps a running tally.

“We are extremely excited to offer this innovative service to our customers. It revolutionizes the petition gathering process and makes the ballot access process more effective and efficient,” said Amber McReynolds, Director of Elections. “I am so proud of our team, our partners at Denver Technology Services, and our vendor 303 Software for making this happen.”

eSign will be piloted for the first time as potential candidates for the May 5, 2015 Municipal General Election gather signatures to run for office. Candidates for Denver's May 5 election on Tuesday began the sometimes-arduous task of gathering petition signatures to qualify for the ballot, and more than a dozen took advantage of a new option.

Typically, campaigns have collected many more signatures than needed to avoid falling short when the Denver Elections Division verifies them. The guesswork hasn't always worked in their favor.

Candidates for mayor, auditor, clerk and recorder and at-large City Council seats must collect 300 verified signatures by March 11. The threshold for the council's district seats is 100 signatures within the district boundaries.

So far, 13 candidates have opted for the tablet method over paper petitions, Elections Division spokesman Alton Dillard said. Campaigns can check out tablets from the division, paying a refundable $375 deposit for each, or register their own tablets to get the software, he said.

Denver elections officials say the office is the first in the nation to offer a mobile petition signing app. The eSign software was developed with vendor 303 Software.