Investigation Exonerates Colorado Secretary of State

An investigation into the accidental posting of voting system passwords on the Colorado Secretary of State's website found that the disclosure occurred due to a 'series of inadvertent and unforeseen events.' The report, conducted by Baird Quinn, LLC, absolved Secretary of State Jena Griswold and her staff of intentional wrongdoing but noted violations of state information security policies regarding document reviews and training. The passwords, some of which were linked to El Paso County voting machines, were hidden in a spreadsheet uploaded for transparency but were not discovered until late October. Recommendations for preventing future incidents include prohibiting hidden tabs for sensitive information and using password management software. Griswold has committed to implementing these recommendations to enhance security protocols. The incident has raised scrutiny over her office, especially ahead of the upcoming election.