Steve Schleiker: El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Making Strides in Accountability and Efficiency
Steve Schleiker, the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder, has been diligently navigating a host of legislative bills while ensuring efficient service delivery to the residents of El Paso County. With a dedicated team and innovative approaches to service, Schleiker continues to push the boundaries of effective governance.
Key Achievements and Initiatives:
• Financial Transparency: In recent reports, Schleiker disclosed the Clerk and Recorders Office has received $6,441 from candidates and other purchasing voter rolls.
• Robust DMV Operations: The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has seen significant activity, processing over 250,000 transactions, including 85,000 driver’s licenses. They also processed 96,000 Express transactions for military personnel. The average DMV wait time was kept under 12 minutes throughout the year, underscoring efficiency.
• Kiosk Innovations: With 13 kiosks facilitating 109,000 transactions, Schleiker is implementing technology to streamline services further, introducing a new notification system that alerts customers via text when it’s their turn, allowing them to run errands during their wait.
• Property Fraud Program: Recently launched, this program notifies registrants of any liens against their name or property, enhancing security and peace of mind for property owners.
• Staff Retention and Morale: After facing an 85% turnover rate in 2020-2022, the office has successfully reduced attrition to nearly zero. In 2023 it was down to 36%, 2024 down to 11%, and 2025 down to 3%. Schleiker expresses pride in the stability of his staff and their commitment to serving the community.
Addressing Legislative Challenges: Schleiker is actively engaged in discussions surrounding impactful legislation. He has opposed HB26-1113, an “elections cleanup” bill that presents unfunded mandates requiring the addition of two ballot boxes and stringent timeline adjustments that could impose significant costs on the county. He is seeking amendments to challenge some of these requirements.
Further complicating the legislative landscape, the failed HB26-1104 aimed to improve statewide voter roll accuracy by requiring the Secretary of State to compare the statewide voter rolls to the Experian database but did not clear the legislature.
SB26-058 presented by Lynda Zamora Willson proposed to change how automatic Motor Voter registration functions. The bill suggested categorizing voters as “Pending” status until they have had an opportunity to change their party affiliation within 20 days. If the record is not updated, they would be cancelled. If updated, they would become “active.” This bill was defeated along party lines. The democrats do not want clean voter rolls, they want as many unaffiliated voters as possible in the system, even if it significantly increases the cost for every election.
Fiscal Responsibility: El Paso County prides itself on being fiscally conservative. Schleiker noted that, unlike other counties facing financial strain—such as Pueblo, which incurred $10 million in debt and laid off ten staff members—his office focused on one-time expenditures with the federal COVID relief funds instead of recurring expenses.
Engaging with the Community: Schleiker encourages communication with the public and remains accessible through various channels. Residents experiencing issues with voter credentialing can contact the Clerk and Recorder’s office directly at 719-579-8683 for assistance. He also shares regular updates and engages with the community through the El Paso County Clerk & Recorder’s Facebook page.
Looking Forward: As the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder continues to innovate and adapt amid a landscape of changing legislation, Steve Schleiker remains committed to maintaining the integrity of voter registration, enhancing the efficiency of DMV services, and ensuring that residents receive the highest level of service. For inquiries or more information, residents can reach out directly at SteveSchleiker@elpasoco.com or on his cell at 719-502-1534.