DENVER ~ Denver - In a joint effort, Governor Jared Polis and Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced today that all passwords have been updated and the security of affected active voting systems in Colorado has been verified. The operation was successfully completed on Thursday evening.

Secretary of State Jena Griswold expressed her gratitude to Governor Polis for deploying additional state resources to assist in the effort. She also reassured voters that Colorado has multiple layers of security in place to ensure fair and accurate elections.

Governor Polis also commended the swift work in updating the passwords, stating that every Coloradan can trust that their vote will be counted fairly and accurately. He acknowledged the critical need for immediate action and thanked the state employees and county clerk personnel who were involved in the effort.

The operation began on Wednesday, October 30, after Governor Polis was briefed on the situation. He immediately deployed human capital, air and ground assets, and other logistical support to the Secretary of State's Office. The changes to all affected passwords were completed within hours.

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The operation involved eight staff members from the Department of State and an additional 22 state cybersecurity personnel directed by Governor Polis. All staff underwent appropriate background checks and training before working on election systems. They also worked in pairs under the observation of county elections officials.

Despite this password disclosure, there is no threat to Colorado's elections or impact on how ballots are counted. The changes were made as a precautionary measure.

Colorado's election process includes multiple layers of security. The passwords that were disclosed were only one part of a two-step process required to make changes to a voting system. They can only be used with physical access, which is restricted by secure rooms requiring ID badges for entry. These ID badges create access logs that track who enters secure areas and when. There is also 24/7 video camera recording on all election equipment.

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County clerks are responsible for maintaining restricted access to secure ballot areas and can only share access information with background-checked individuals. Unauthorized access to voting equipment is a felony.

In addition, every Colorado voter casts a paper ballot, which is then audited during the Risk Limiting Audit to ensure that ballots were counted accurately according to voter intent.

If any Coloradans witness suspicious activity near an election site or experience election intimidation, they are encouraged to report it through the Community Member Suspicious Activity Report Form.

Overall, the joint effort between Governor Polis and Secretary of State Griswold was successful in updating all passwords and verifying the security of affected active voting systems in Colorado. The state remains committed to ensuring fair and secure elections for all eligible voters.

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