A Senate committee passed a Democrat measure Monday that would make it even harder for county clerks to purge inactive voters from the voter rolls--leaving some of the state's clerks shaking their heads.      

House Bill 1329, sponsored by Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver, would further liberalize the state's already forgiving policy toward voters who don't show up to the polls. The measure would force county clerks to keep voters who have not voted in two general elections on the "active" list and would extend the time period in which clerks periodically purge their voter rolls from six years to eight years. 

The measure drew fire from Republican El Paso County Clerk Bob Balink, who oversees elections in Colorado's largest county and showed up Monday to testify against the bill in the Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee.  Balink said the measure flouts the historic civic commitment voters are expected to show. 

“We cannot keep promoting legislation which removes personal responsibility from the election process,” said Balink, county clerk for El Paso County.  “It doesn’t take much to keep yourself an active voter in this state, yet the liberal and Democrat voting bloc on this committee believes government must help voters keep themselves active.”