In recent news from Epoch Times on October 30, 2024, there has been a case of election security oversight in the state of Colorado, which has garnered significant attention from the public. On Tuesday (October 29), it was revealed that the password for accessing the voting system was publicly available on the Secretary of State’s website for several months before it was finally removed last week.
Election officials in the state discovered last week that an electronic spreadsheet containing the password was placed in a hidden tab on the website, making it accessible to anyone.
Jack Todd, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office, stated in a release on Tuesday that the password in question is one of two required for logging into Colorado’s voting system, with each password being just a part of a multi-layered security system. He emphasized that these two passwords are “maintained by different parties and stored in different locations,” which means that access to the system cannot be gained solely through this password.
Todd noted that this oversight did not pose an immediate threat to the election process.
Jena Griswold, the Secretary of State of Colorado, reassured local media outlet 9News on Tuesday evening, stating, “This incident did not pose a threat to the security of the elections.” She mentioned that the Secretary of State’s office is investigating the matter and clarified that not all public passwords were active at the time of the incident, with no signs of any security breach in the election system.
The Secretary stated that staff are now changing passwords, reviewing access logs, and monitoring records.
Under Colorado law, election equipment must be kept in secure rooms that are monitored and only accessible to authorized personnel. All individuals entering and exiting these rooms are recorded to ensure the safety of the election equipment.
Against the backdrop of national attention on the security and reliability of election systems in the United States, this oversight incident has sparked widespread discussion.
Dave Williams, the Chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, sent a letter to the Secretary of State on Tuesday requesting confirmation that the exposed password has been changed as well as making other inquiries.