With statewide attention on Vote Centers growing, the Larimer County Elections Department decided to host a statewide conference on Vote Centers on February 1, 2005 at the Larimer County Courthouse (Administrative Services). Over 25 county election departments from across the state of Colorado as well as a county election task force attended.

In 2004, Colorado State Senator Steve Johnson (R-Larimer County) and State Representative Bob McCluskey (R-Larimer County) introduced Senate Bill 153 (SB 153). SB 153 established the legal framework permitting the use of Vote Centers for conducting an election in Colorado. The bill was signed into law by Colorado's Governor, Bill Owens in 2004. Highlights of SB 153 include:

The National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks (NACRC)

The NACRC awarded Scott Doyle and the Larimer County Elections Department the 2005 Election Administration Best Practice Award. This Best Practice Award was bestowed on Mr. Doyle and the Elections Department for the successful implementation of the Vote Center Model in Larimer County.

An electronic poll book, or statewide voter registration database, is integral to the success of the Vote Center Model. Computer Judges need to be able to process any voter from the county at any Vote Center, not just those within one particular precinct. Voters need the flexibility of being able to vote their correct ballot style anywhere in the county without worrying about election fraud. Election officials need to make sure no one votes at more than one Vote Center on Election Day. The electronic poll book makes this all possible.

The following table displays voter turnout and poll worker information for Vote Centers in Larimer County. The Vote Center Model offers the flexibility of expanding and contracting the number of Vote Centers used in an election based upon anticipated voter turnout. Vote Centers can also be designed to process a very large number of voters in an urban area, or a very small number of voters in more rural, outlying areas.

Below are some of the legal and practical considerations the County Clerk's office uses when determining the location of a Vote Center in Larimer County.

Vote Centers afford voters the convenience of appearing at any Vote Center in the county to cast a ballot that contains every race and issue on which he/she is entitled to vote. Vote Centers enable election officials to reduce the number of polling places from the traditional precinct sites to a smaller, more manageable number of sites.

The Vote Center Model was first envisioned by Larimer County Clerk and Recorder Scott Doyle in 2003. In 2002, the United States 107^th Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which was signed into law in November of the same year. HAVA provided the new legal framework for voting accessibility in the United States. The Vote Center Model came about in response to implementing the new requirements of HAVA as well as a vision of a more efficient, consistent voting system.