Partial passwords for Colorado's voting systems posted online

DENVER – The Colorado Secretary of State confirmed Tuesday that a table containing partial passwords for components of Colorado's voting system was posted on the Secretary of State's website for an unknown period of time.

In a statement, the department downplayed the seriousness of the release, saying, “This does not pose an immediate security threat to Colorado's elections, nor will it impact how ballots are counted.”

The Colorado Department of State said there are multiple layers of security involved in elections in the state.

“There are two unique passwords for each voting equipment component, kept in separate locations and managed by different parties. Passwords can only be used with physical personal access to a voting system. Colorado law requires voting machines to be kept in secure rooms that require secure identification to access. This badge creates an access log that tracks who enters a secure area and when. All voting machines are recorded on video cameras around the clock. Clerks must maintain limited access to secure voting areas and may only provide access information to individuals whose background has been checked. No person is permitted to remain in a secure area unless authorized or supervised by an authorized and vetted employee. Additionally, there are strict chain-of-custody requirements that track when and by whom a component of a voting system was accessed. “It is a criminal offense to access voting machines without authorization,” the statement said.

It is not known when the spreadsheet was posted on the website or how the department was notified of the vulnerability.

The ministry said it took immediate action as soon as it became aware of the publication and informed the Federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

This incident occurred about a week after Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced that her office had thwarted a voter fraud attempt in Mesa County. Griswold said at least 12 ballots mailed to county residents were stolen, fraudulently signed and submitted to the elections office.

However, Griswold said the ballots were thrown out of the system and not counted after they failed the state's voter signature verification process. She declined to provide further details about possible arrests, citing the ongoing criminal investigation.

On Wednesday, Republicans in the Colorado House of Representatives began calling for Griswold's resignation.

House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, R-District 14, released a statement that said, in part:

“While I have the utmost confidence in the integrity of our county clerks who actually oversee the vote count, I have no confidence in Secretary Griswold’s ability to run our election system. Enough of their incompetence; it's time for them to step down. The people of Colorado deserve better.”

Partial passwords for Colorado's voting systems posted online