No Charges in Colorado Voting Password Leak

The Denver District Attorney's office has decided not to file charges against the Colorado Secretary of State's Office following a password leak of voting equipment, concluding it was accidental. The investigation, which aligned with findings from a third-party review, determined there was no criminal intent or effort to influence election outcomes. The spreadsheet containing the passwords was inadvertently published online, created by a former employee who used it as a notepad and did not inform colleagues of its sensitive content. DA Beth McCann confirmed that the incident did not meet legal thresholds for criminal conduct under state statutes requiring 'knowing, arbitrary, or capricious' action. Secretary of State Jena Griswold has since taken steps to address the situation, including hiring an external firm for further investigation and emphasizing she followed cybersecurity best practices upon discovery. The incident, though serious, was deemed a result of oversight rather than deliberate misconduct.