Gov. Polis and Secretary of State Griswold Announce Additional State Resources are Being Deployed to Ensure Election Security

DENVER - This week, Secretary Griswold announced that a spreadsheet located on the Department’s website improperly included a hidden tab including partial passwords (one factor among layers of security that include multiple passwords and physical presence in a badged entry area) to certain machines of Colorado voting systems. Today, Governor Polis announced that the executive branch is providing the Secretary of State (SOS) human capital, air and ground assets, and other logistical support to complete changes to all the impacted passwords and review logs to ensure that no tampering occurred. The Secretary of State will deputize certain state employees, who have cybersecurity and technology expertise and have undergone appropriate background checks and training.  In addition to the Department of State Employees and in coordination with county clerks, these employees will only enter badged areas in pairs to update the passwords for election equipment in counties and will be directly observed by local elections officials from the county clerk’s office. The goal is to complete the password updates by this evening and verify the security of the voting components, which are secured behind locked doors by county clerks. 

“We are deploying additional state resources to address this unfortunate leak. We want to resolve the current situation quickly by lending resources to help get the necessary passwords changed as quickly as possible with minimal impact on county clerk operations. We are dedicated to process improvements to instill confidence in our elections. We want to be able to provide assurances that all votes are counted fairly and accurately for this election and all elections, and are grateful for the work of the county clerks for overseeing this process with the state’s support,” said Governor Polis. 

“Colorado has countless layers of security to ensure voter’s voices are heard. I’m thankful to the Governor for his support to quickly resolve this unfortunate mistake,” said Secretary of State Jena Griswold.  

On Wednesday morning, Governor Polis was briefed on the disclosure and the overall elections security environment by the Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS). He spoke with Secretary Griswold Wednesday afternoon, and, acting on her request, the Governor worked with his team to identify and deploy more state resources and staff to update the passwords and download access logs. 

The state is leveraging resources from across various departments and coordinating with the Secretary of State and numerous local and federal partners. CDPS divisions, including the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) and the Colorado State Patrol (CSP), and the Governor’s Office of Information Technology are collaborating closely with the Secretary of State’s Office, county clerks, and state, local, and federal law enforcement. 

DHSEM is coordinating the state’s overall elections response through the activation of the Colorado State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to ensure all voters can vote safely and peacefully. The Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC) serves as the state’s information analysis center, responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating election-related threat and hazard intelligence. 

If you see something suspicious near an election site or experience election intimidation, please report it to the CIAC through their online Community Member Suspicious Activity Report Form.