El Paso County Clerk & Recorder candidates Tom Mowle and Wayne Williams have been asked to commit to a more public process for selecting polling places, after it was revealed that almost two thirds of El Paso County precincts are in churches. A comparison of Front Range counties revealed that 72% of El Paso County precincts are local in churches, most of those conservative evangelical denominations. Weld County has 9% of their voting centers in churches and the next highest to El Paso is Larimer County with 38%.

A letter was sent to both major party candidates and invited them to commit to a more public process, after current (term-limited) clerk Bob Balink refused to meet on the subject. The letter was sent from Citizens Project of Colorado Springs, Colorado Common Cause, Fair Elections Legal Network, People for the American Way Foundation and Campaign for a Strong Colorado.

Only Mowle has responded to the letter.

In an email, Mowle said: “I so pledge. I am committed to accessible polling places in El Paso County, transparent policies for selecting polling places and an inclusive and public process for future decisions around election planning, particularly as it relates to choices about polling places.”