November 11th 2024.
Earlier this year, the Denver district attorney launched an investigation to uncover the source of a spreadsheet containing voting system passwords that was found on the Colorado secretary of state's website. The investigation, which is still ongoing, was confirmed by the DA's office on Monday. However, no further details were disclosed at this time.
It all began on October 29th when Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced that a hidden tab was discovered in a spreadsheet that had been publicly posted on her office's website for several months. This tab contained passwords that were meant to protect the state's voting machines, and it was deemed an accidental inclusion by the office. As a precaution, a team of state employees quickly went to county clerk offices to change the passwords and strengthen security measures before the November 5th election. It was discovered that 34 out of the 64 counties in Colorado were affected by the breach.
Despite the breach, state election officials reassured the public that it did not pose a security threat to the state's elections or affect the counting of ballots. This was because the password listed in the spreadsheet would need to be paired with another password that was kept separately, and the person using them would also need physical access to the machines, which are kept in secure rooms.
However, the leak did cause concern and backlash from the Colorado Republican Party and President-elect Donald Trump's campaign. They called for a temporary halt to the processing of mail-in ballots in the counties that were impacted by the breach. Despite these calls, the state continued to count the ballots.
On Election Day, a Denver judge denied a request from the Libertarian Party of Colorado to require hand-counting of ballots in the affected counties. The judge found no evidence that the elections systems had been compromised.
In a related development, the El Paso County district attorney's office announced on Friday that they had received two affidavits alleging violations of state law in relation to the breach. They also stated that they would cooperate with the Denver investigation and provide resources as needed. The office also mentioned that they would review the investigation conducted by the Denver DA's office to determine if further investigation was necessary and which office was best suited to handle it.
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