Colorado is facing a scandal after passwords from voting systems were leaked due to being accessible on an open network. The mistake was made by a staff member of the state secretary’s office, leading to concerns just before the elections. The employee responsible for the leak has been terminated, and an official investigation is underway.
Secretary of State Jenna Griswart stated that the leaked passwords only provided partial access to the systems and did not compromise the overall security of the elections. Despite this, the Colorado election commissions are reviewing the systems and tightening access to minimize any potential risks. Molly Fitzpatrick, Secretary of the Bowler, highlighted that using the leaked data would require physical presence and monitored equipment access.
Some officials became aware of the issue after the Republican Party Colorado publicly disclosed the information, expressing disappointment that the Secretary of State’s office had known about the incident for a week without informing local authorities. Concerns regarding voting security were already present in the state following a previous incident involving former district secretary Mesa Tina Peters, leading to the criminalization of publishing passwords for election equipment.
State Republicans, led by minority leader Rose Pustogliz, are calling for the resignation of Grisfold, accusing her of negligence and eroding trust in the electoral process. They also point to previous incidents where the office mistakenly sent registration notifications to non-residents. In response, Griswart cited funding limitations and stressed her team’s efforts to safeguard the voting system amidst ongoing threats and conspiracy theories.
Meanwhile, Republican Party leader Dave Williams has demanded an explanation for the incident and threatened legal action if the responses received do not address concerns about election security.