Colorado's Irreparable Voting Machine Security Breach

Password Leak in Over Half of Counties Demands Hand Counts

A Call for Hand Counts After Colorado’s Election Password Leak: Over Half of Counties Compromised!

The recent password leak affecting 34 of Colorado’s 64 counties highlights serious vulnerabilities in the state’s election security under Secretary of State Jena Griswold’s oversight.

Releasing partial voting machine passwords—even unintentionally—compromises the public’s trust in a transparent and secure election process. And while officials assert that multiple passwords and physical access are necessary to manipulate voting equipment, cybersecurity experts argue that any password exposure, however partial, poses inherent risks.

The accidental release of partial voting machine passwords on a publicly accessible spreadsheet has thrown Colorado’s election security under serious scrutiny, highlighting vulnerabilities that Secretary of State Jena Griswold's office was responsible for overseeing. This breach, affecting 34 counties, represents a significant security failure that raises doubts about the robustness of Griswold’s so-called “Gold Standard” election protocols. As a result, there are urgent calls for enhanced election security measures, including hand-count verification of ballots, particularly in counties exposed to the leak.

Griswold’s office did not initially inform county clerks or the public about the breach. Instead, the Colorado Republican Party disclosed the incident, sparking frustration and concern among local officials and voters.

Although Griswold claimed that “multiple passwords and restricted access” were sufficient to protect Colorado’s voting systems, expert testimony warns that unauthorized access is entirely possible once passwords are exposed. We must assume backdoors have been installed for later access, regardless of password changes.

Retired Pentagon and Military cybersecurity experts have testified that even partial access codes could enable bad actors to exploit vulnerabilities in the voting machines if they had physical or remote access​ completely undetected. Shawn Smith, a retired Air Force officer and election integrity activist, discovered the passwords in a document he downloaded from the Secretary of State’s website.

Gov. Jared Polis and Griswold announced a hasty response: deploying a task force of 30 employees, including state cybersecurity experts, homeland security officials, and members of the Colorado State Patrol, to affected counties to update passwords and tighten access. But critics argue this "patchwork" fix may not fully address potential threats, and the rushed response raises questions about the long-term reliability of the machines involved.

Griswold’s decision not to support a full hand count, despite the breach, is also under fire. A hand count would allow independent verification of machine-tabulated votes, alleviating concerns over manipulated results. The lawsuit filed by the Libertarian Party seeking this measure reflects the broader demand for transparency and accountability. Meanwhile, the court has yet to mandate hand counts, with officials arguing that such a move would introduce “chaos.” However, many argue that without tangible security assurances, such an upheaval may be necessary to safeguard the election’s integrity.

The incident follows a series of moves by Griswold’s office that have drawn political backlash, including her recent attempt to disqualify former President Trump from the ballot under the “insurrectionist” clause—a decision interpreted by some as evidence of partisan motivations. Griswold’s mishandling of this critical election data only amplifies public mistrust, with critics suggesting that without stringent audits, the machines in affected counties may be too compromised to use.

Ultimately, the people of Colorado deserve transparency and accountability in their election processes. A full, side-by-side hand count, particularly in counties affected by the password leak, would go a long way toward restoring faith in the system and ensuring that Griswold’s office is held to account for a serious lapse in election security.

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For Colorado Only

HOW TO DELIVER A HAND-COUNT ELECTION IN COLORADO:

• Take 30 Seconds to ACT NOW Below

• Call the Governor!

• Post to Social Media

• Share to your full friends and family list

• Call and email the Exe. Dir. Of Colorado’s Association of Clerks, Matt Crane, at 720-261-1194 and email at cccaexecutivedirector@gmail.com

• Call on your state and local GOP Chair to share this campaign with their full membership and organize members to take action

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Please share this with all your Colorado friends and family and post it on social media to spread the word!

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