A Denver district court faces a critical decision as Secretary of State Jena Griswold's office grapples with the consequences of accidentally leaked voting equipment passwords.
According to The Denver Post, District Court Judge Kandace Gerdes heard four hours of testimony Monday in response to a lawsuit filed by the Libertarian Party of Colorado.
The lawsuit demands hand-counting of ballots in more than half of Colorado's counties following the discovery of election equipment passwords that were inadvertently posted on the Secretary of State's website.
The password leak, which affected 34 of Colorado's 64 counties, was first reported by the state Republican Party and Secretary Griswold last week. The sensitive information was discovered in a hidden tab within a spreadsheet that had been publicly accessible on the office's website since June 21.
First Deputy Attorney General LeeAnn Morrill defended the state's position, emphasizing that the released passwords alone would be insufficient to compromise voting systems. The office maintained that physical access to equipment and additional undisclosed passwords would be necessary for any potential security breach.
During the proceedings, no evidence emerged suggesting that voting systems had been compromised or improperly accessed. The state is actively reviewing 24-hour surveillance footage and other security monitoring systems to ensure the integrity of voting equipment.
Christopher Beall, Griswold's deputy, testified that the ongoing security review had not identified any unauthorized access to the systems. These monitoring procedures were implemented following previous security concerns related to Mesa County's voting systems.
Griswold announced plans to hire an external law firm to investigate how the password information was exposed. The firm Garnett Powell Maximon Barlow & Farbes will conduct the inquiry, though the timeline remains undetermined.
The staff member responsible for creating the spreadsheet had already left their position before the password leak was discovered. Griswold's office described the departure as amicable.
Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association and a Republican, acknowledged the legitimacy of security concerns while expressing confidence in the mitigation measures taken. He also revealed that some Colorado Republican officials were preparing to challenge ballot certification.
State House Republicans previously attempted to impeach Griswold for her criticism of former President Trump and election conspiracies. Senator Kevin Van Winkle requested an emergency meeting of the Legislative Audit Committee to assess potential system compromises.
The committee voted along party lines against holding an immediate meeting, though the issue may be addressed at their regularly scheduled December session. Democratic Representative Andrew Boesenecker expressed skepticism about the urgency of the request.
Speaking about the situation, Griswold stated:
We discovered an error that is regrettable and took as thoughtful and measured of steps to address it (as we could), in an atmosphere that is full of threats and disinformation.
The password breach has prompted immediate action from state officials, with all affected passwords being changed and additional security measures implemented. Colorado's election system continues to employ paper ballots and post-election risk-limiting audits to ensure accurate vote counting. The incident occurs during a particularly sensitive time, with the presidential election underway and various political actors scrutinizing election security measures.
