Cough-Coffman...Mike and Cynthia Voting Story Gets Weirder

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by: Colorado Pols

On Friday we discussed an odd bit of trivia related to Mike and Cynthia Coffman; while Congressman Mike can vote for Cynthia in the race for Attorney General, Cynthia cannot vote for Mike because she doesn't live in his Congressional District. The original story from Kurtis Lee of the Denver Post included an explanation (of sorts) from a spokesperson with Cynthia Coffman's campaign for AG:

“Cynthia and Mike owned their own homes before they were married,” said Sarah Lenti, a spokeswoman for the attorney general campaign. “Mike works in Washington, D.C., but for the weekends, and Cynthia lives and works in Denver as chief deputy attorney general.”

Lenti added that Cynthia Coffman lives in the home “closest to her work.”

We thought that this initial response to a seemingly minor story was oddly unemotional, since this is the kind of query that can often be deflected with a joke. But now we understand why they may have been more cautious. As a search of public voter records makes clear, Cynthia Coffman has indeed voted for Mike, registering to vote at his Aurora address in November 2007. What neither Coffman has explained, however, it why Cynthia changed her voter registration in March 2011 back to her home in Denver.

We've mapped out the changes in the graphic below. It certainly doesn't appear as though the Coffmans are doing anything illegal — though we see no reason why Cynthia would change her voter registration back and forth so often — but as we've said from the beginning of this story, the whole thing is just…weird.

If you think this is confusing, you should have seen the pie chart.

16 thoughts on “Cough-Coffman…Mike and Cynthia Voting Story Gets Weirder”

gumshoe says:

June 3, 2014 at 5:20 pm

So Cynthia didn't vote for her husband in 2012…. interesting.

How many middle class families can have a second house closer to their work, when their other home is a mere 10 miles further.

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1. Curmudgeon says:
  
  June 3, 2014 at 5:29 pm
  
  Well, since she knows him better than anyone, she might not have been able to justify voting for him.
  
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Zappatero says:

June 3, 2014 at 6:35 pm

Sounds like a case for CO's most dogged Voter Fraud Defender!

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1. Zappatero says:
  
  June 3, 2014 at 6:36 pm
  
  oh wait…….Defender Against Voter Fraud!
  
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  1. mamajama55 says:
    
    June 3, 2014 at 6:43 pm
    
    Marilyn Marks? Jon Caldara? Victor Head? Scott Gessler? You have a whole troupe of Voter Fraud Defenders.
    
    Their Motto:
    
    We Commit Election Fraud, To Prove It Exists.
    
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BlueCat says:

June 3, 2014 at 11:34 pm

mmm… pie.

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dwyer says:

June 4, 2014 at 6:50 am

Wierd? Maybe it is just their private business, you know, like where did Mr. Pat Schroder vote?

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1. JBJK16 says:
  
  June 4, 2014 at 7:03 am
  
  "Weird" sounds about right.
  
  Might be nothing. Might be an atypical marriage/family arrangement they really don't want to explain. But it does feel weird.
  
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2. Colorado Pols says:
  
  June 4, 2014 at 10:53 am
  
  You could argue more effectively that it is their own business if Cynthia Coffman weren't running for Attorney General.
  
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  1. dwyer says:
    
    June 4, 2014 at 3:45 pm
    
    This is private. I think the Coffmans have just won the vote of two career couples. If there is something political about two members of the same family running for public office, one in a congressional district and one state wide, then spit it out, cp. Otherwise, what is your point???
    
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    1. Curmudgeon says:
      
      June 4, 2014 at 4:12 pm
      
      They're running for public offices, and it's private?
      
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    2. JBJK16 says:
      
      June 4, 2014 at 7:18 pm
      
      I know many two career couples, but only one that resulted inseperate residences.
      
      i would agree it is trivial, except the answer was so incoherent, it makes it weird.
      
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      1. BlueCat says:
        
        June 4, 2014 at 8:10 pm
        
        Yes. That's what makes it weird. While most couples, including high powered career couples, do share a main address and vote in the same precinct, it's their incoherent explanations that make it weird rather than just atypical. I doubt that droves of of two career couples are now saying … "yeah, isn't that the way all of us do it?"
        
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    3. yameniye says:
      
      June 5, 2014 at 4:14 am
      
      Politicians are public figures so all sorts of things can be looked at and talked about them that non-public figures do not have to endure. If, when and where they vote is public information, as are your voting records. How they vote is up to them and not for the public, unless they talk about it.
      
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ajb says:

June 4, 2014 at 12:14 pm

As they say, home is where the heart is. Or so I've heard.

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Half Glass Full says:

June 4, 2014 at 2:54 pm

I'm sure if someone asks Mike Coffman to explain all this, he'll gladly do so.

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