Colorado Gov. Jarid Polis and Secretary of State Jena Griswold say the state has completed updating all the passwords on election machines. This comes after a set of passwords for the state’s voting system were leaked online on Wednesday.

To complete the effort, eight staff members from the Department of State along with 22 state cybersecurity personnel were directed to make efforts to protect the integrity of voting. Each member of the team was background-checked and underwent the proper training. Additionally, they worked in teams and were observed by county election officials.

Griswold announced the leak on Tuesday, saying a spreadsheet posted on her office’s website had a tab with partial passwords for Colorado voting machines.

Following the leak, the governor’s office says they responded quickly to safeguard the election. Secretary Griswold says she appreciates the action as protecting Colorado’s elections is a top priority.

“Colorado has countless layers of security to ensure our elections are free and fair, and every eligible voter should know their ballot will be counted as cast,” said Secretary of State Jena Griswold in a press release.

On Friday, the state’s Bipartisan Election Advisory Commission met at the Denver Elections Division, where the recent issue was a topic of conversation.

“One password leak is not going to compromise the whole enchilada. It’s just not right,” said Denver County Clerk Paul Lopez. “You literally have to be Jason Bourne. You’ve got to be Mission Impossible, coming down in here with badge access, physical access, to tamper with anything.”

Lopez attended the event where dozens of volunteers worked to verify signatures by eye. Between each step of the process, they weigh the ballot on a sensitive scale to make sure it all matches up. Despite an occasional irregularity with a ballot, they have not seen any major issues or problems related to the password leak.

“Rest assured that your vote is safe and will be counted and it is transparent,” said Lopez. “If you have any questions whatsoever, don’t go to Facebook. Don’t go to Twitter. Don’t believe the hype. That is a lot of misinformation. Hit up your county clerk’s office.”

Despite efforts to calm concerns, the incident has sparked controversy about voting in Colorado. Unsurprisingly, it has also led to political backlash, with various members of the Republican Party, including presidential candidate Donald Trump, questioning the integrity of the elections in the state. Trump’s campaign is now suggesting that voting should be paused.

“The Secretary of State must immediately identify the counties affected by the security breach, notify them, direct them to halt processing of mail ballots, and prepare to re-scan all ballots,” said a letter from the Trump campaign. This process is laid out under Colorado law and would not disrupt the voting process, as counties are not permitted to disclose results until 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.”

Colorado officials say there are multiple layers of security. For instance, the passwords shared were one of two passwords needed to make changes to the voting system. On top of that, these machines can only be accessed by someone in person. The machines are stored in a secure area that needs an ID badge to access and is under around-the-clock video camera recording.

SOUTHERN COLORADO — Each week, News5 tries to compile a list of the fun-filled events happening across Colorado. From Dia de los Muertos celebrations to a Switchbacks FC playoff game, there’s plenty to enjoy this Halloweekend.

Dia de los Muertos Colorado Springs

A Dia de los Muertos celebration is happening in Colorado Springs Friday and Saturday at the Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. Festivities begin at 4:30 p.m. each day. Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Latin American celebration dedicated to remembering loved ones who have been lost and honoring their impact on their community. More information here.

Dia de los Muertos Pueblo

El Pueblo History Museum set up a Day of the Dead altar at its location in downtown Pueblo earlier this month. They will be holding a ceremony on November 2 at 1 p.m. at the museum. The community is invited to put pictures of their loved ones on the altar to honor them publicly. More information here.

WATCH: El Pueblo History Museum sets up a Day of the Dead altar downtown

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Playoff Game

The Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC made it to the USL playoffs! They will host Oakland Roots SC at Weidner Field on Saturday at 6 p.m. for a first round matchup. Tickets for the game start at $35. More information here. Can’t make it to the game in person? Click here for information on how you can watch.

Arkansas Valley Balloon Festival

The 35th Arkansas Valley Balloon Festival kicks off Friday with a balloon launch at 9 a.m. in Rocky Ford. Hot air balloon launches continue at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The events are planned around Rocky Ford City Hall on Main Street and at Railroad Park, which is located nearby. More information here.

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Trump campaign attorneys have demanded that Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold take immediate action to secure the state’s elections following the release of partial voting system passwords online.

In a letter sent to Griswold on Wednesday, the attorneys for former President Donald Trump’s Republican campaign said the password disclosure violates state law and “undermines the integrity of our elections.” They asked that Griswold immediately identify counties affected by the security breach, notify them, direct them to stop processing mail-in ballots and prepare to re-scan all ballots.

“We recognize these steps may be an inconvenience for your office and for the affected counties. But this inconvenience is necessary because it is the only way to guarantee that the elections equipment in those counties whose current BIOS passwords were disclosed by your office are secure and that the chain of custody for that equipment required by Colorado law and regulations is unbroken,” said the letter from Scott Gessler, a Republican attorney with Gessler Blue LLC representing the Trump campaign. Gessler served as secretary of state from 2011 to 2014.

The letter asked that Griswold, a Democrat, confirm by 10 a.m. Thursday that “you will undertake these steps.” Secretary of State officials confirmed they’d received the letter. They didn’t respond immediately to Denver Post questions about whether they’d taken the requested actions.

State elections officials are investigating how state voting machine passwords ended up online. Griswold has said an employee involved no longer works for the state. On Tuesday, state officials issued a news release saying they’d posted a spreadsheet to their website that “improperly included” partial passwords.

State Republican Party officials first announced the leak, saying they’d found a spreadsheet publicly posted on the secretary of state’s website containing a list of voting systems used around the state with tabs that led to the partial passwords.

Originally Published: October 31, 2024 at 12:51 PM MDT