Partial passwords to Colorado's voting systems posted on Secretary of State website

DENVER — The Colorado Department of State confirmed Tuesday that a spreadsheet containing partial passwords to components of Colorado’s voting system was published on the Secretary of State’s website for an unknown period of time.

In a statement, the department downplayed the seriousness of the posting, stating, “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 several layers of security are involved in the state’s elections.

“There are two unique passwords for every election equipment component, which are kept in separate places and held by different parties. Passwords can only be used with physical in-person access to a voting system. Under Colorado law, voting equipment must be stored in secure rooms that require a secure ID badge to access. That ID badge creates an access log that tracks who enters a secure area and when. There is 24/7 video camera recording on all election equipment. Clerks are required to maintain restricted access to secure ballot areas, and may only share access information with background-checked individuals. No person may be present in a secure area unless they are authorized to do so or are supervised by an authorized and background-checked employee. There are also strict chain of custody requirements that track when a voting systems component has been accessed and by whom. It is a felony to access voting equipment without authorization,” the statement read.

It's unknown when the spreadsheet was posted to the site or how the department was informed of the security lapse.

The department said it took immediate action as soon as it became aware of the posting and informed the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

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

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

Wednesday, Colorado House Republicans began calling for Griswold's resignation.

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

“While I have the utmost trust in the integrity of our county clerks, who actually oversee the counting of votes, I have no trust that Secretary Griswold is capable of leading our election system. Enough of her incompetence; it is time for her to resign. The people of Colorado deserve better.”