Gov. Jared Polis calls for independent investigation of security breach at Colorado Secretary of State's Office
Gov. Jared Polis has joined a growing chorus of people calling for an outside investigation into a security breach at the Colorado Secretary of State's Office. The Colorado Attorney General, members of the Legislative Audit Committee, and former President Donald Trump are also weighing in.
Secretary Jena Griswold learned last week that passwords to voting systems statewide had been posted online but she didn't tell anyone, not county clerks, not even the Governor.
"How could this happen? Sensitive passwords posted," Polis told CBS Colorado in disbelief on Thursday.
The Secretary of State's Office says an employee accidentally posted the passwords for voting equipment in 63 of the state's 64 counties on a public website where they remained for months.
County clerks learned about the breach from the Colorado Republican Party. The governor says he found out from a news report.
"Anything related to elections, we want to be radically transparent," Polis said. "So any time we know something, we will tell people. I found out Wednesday myself."
Polis says he's provided cybersecurity experts, who have had background checks, to update all the passwords and make sure no one has accessed the equipment, including the scanners that tabulate votes.
"This is why we have multiple tiers of safeguards," Polis said. "If you just had one and this was the only safeguard, the election could have been compromised. Thankfully, there are three. There needs another password, and there's physical presence in a badged video filmed, area required."
State Rep. Lisa Frizell (Col-R) chair of the Legislative Audit Committee, says the cover-up is most disturbing. She's asking for an audit of the Secretary of State's election division, saying this isn't the first error.
As CBS Colorado reported in 2020, the office sent voter registration postcards to non-citizens. It did again in 2022.
"What policies have not been observed? What procedures are already established but are being ignored?" Frizell posed questions. "Because it is not normal for some of this stuff to be happening over and over and over again."
While an audit takes time, State Sen. Kevin Van Winkle (Col-R) says the committee should immediately bring in Griswold to answer questions. Van Winkle also sits on the audit committee.
"The goal is to reassure the people of Colorado that we have asked the questions," Van Winkle said. "We now have answers to the questions, and they know that their ballots will count."
Meanwhile, Gov. Polis wants an independent investigation.
"Was it nefarious? Who did this? Polis also posed questions. "I read in one article that the person was no longer there. What does that mean? Were they fired? Were they reprimanded? Was there a crime committed? I know none of this. We should find this out."
The Secretary of State's office says the passwords were posted by an employee accidentally. It's unclear if they were all current.
The Attorney General wouldn't say if it's investigating the breach, but it said a thorough review is critical.
An attorney for former President Donald Trump is demanding that -- in counties where the passwords were current -- clerks stop processing ballots, re-certify and re-test voting equipment, and then re-scan ballots.
Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerk's Association, says there isn't time to do that. The election is next Tuesday, Nov. 5. Given all the other safeguards, he says he's confident no one accessed the equipment.
