Yes. Colorado’s Secretary of State website posted an Excel inventory containing hidden worksheets with some active voting-system BIOS passwords on June 21, 2024. The state removed the file on October 24 after discovering the hidden data. Colorado says 34 counties were affected, passwords on affected active equipment were updated, and its review found no evidence of unauthorized access. An outside investigation found a serious publication-review failure, but concluded the passwords were posted unintentionally.
What happened to Colorado’s voting-system passwords?
On June 21, 2024, the Colorado Secretary of State’s website received an updated voting-system inventory in Excel format. Staff removed the visible BIOS-password column before posting it, but hidden worksheets from the original workbook remained in the file. Those sheets included some active BIOS passwords. The inventory had previously been published as a PDF; the Excel version was intended to make it easier to sort and search. The state says it learned about the hidden passwords on October 24 and removed the spreadsheet immediately. Colorado Department of State fact sheet, Dec. 9, 2024; Baird Quinn investigation, Dec. 8, 2024.
Colorado reported that the posting affected 34 of the state’s 64 counties. Some passwords in the workbook were no longer active; the state did not characterize every disclosed password as usable.
Did the disclosure mean someone could change votes?
The password exposure created a real security and process concern, but the published BIOS password was not the only credential officials said was needed to access a voting-system component. The state described two separate passwords: a BIOS password maintained by state civil servants and an operating-system password maintained by county clerks. It said using the credentials required physical, in-person access to equipment. Those are the state’s descriptions of the system and its safeguards, not an independent verification of every security control.
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Colorado cited secure-room badge access, entry logs, video surveillance, background-checked authorized personnel, chain-of-custody procedures, closed networks, separation among counties, and paper ballots. In contemporaneous reporting, officials said there was no immediate threat and described the exposed password as one of two needed to access a component. Associated Press, Oct. 29, 2024.
The state consulted CISA and Dominion after removing the file, assessed the scope, and began changing passwords. By October 31, Colorado said passwords on affected active equipment had been updated and relevant settings on that equipment verified. It reviewed access logs for the 34 affected counties and reported finding no evidence of unauthorized access. For equipment that supported the check, hash analysis also indicated no changes. These findings do not establish that no one ever viewed or attempted to use the disclosed credentials; they describe what the state’s review found.
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What did the outside investigation find?
Baird Quinn LLC was retained by the Department of State on November 12, 2024, to examine how the file was posted, whether policies were violated, and how to prevent a repeat. Investigator Beth Doherty Quinn concluded that the passwords were posted “mistakenly, unknowingly and unintentionally” because the voting-systems team did not know the hidden worksheets existed.
The report also identified a control failure: the proposed public document was not adequately reviewed for hidden, non-public information. A posting request was approved without review of the file, and no reviewer checked for hidden data before publication. The investigator found this failure violated state information-security policy. The report identified separate policy issues involving password strength and review or signature of acceptable-use policies, but said those issues did not cause the disclosure.
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What changes did the investigator recommend?
The recommendations were proposals for the department to consider, not confirmation that every change was adopted. They included:
- Substantive review of website-posting requests, including checks for sensitive information, hidden data, links, and metadata.
- Training staff to use document-inspection features before publishing files.
- Clarifying password-safe requirements and reviewing staff transitions when employees leave.
- Requiring annual review and sign-off of applicable policies.
What did Colorado report about the 2024 election audit?
In its Dec. 9, 2024 fact sheet, the Colorado Department of State said the Nov. 5 general election was secure and accurate. It reported that the bipartisan risk-limiting audit confirmed ballots were counted according to voter intent and that tabulating equipment worked correctly. The state said 65 contests were audited: two statewide contests and one contest in each of 63 counties. For each of those 65 contests, the department reported a 97% rate of statistical certainty that the tabulating equipment worked correctly. That is the state’s description of this audit’s results, not a general measure of election security.
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The fact sheet’s timeline says the risk-limiting audit was completed Nov. 21, county canvasses were completed Nov. 27, mandatory recounts in State House Districts 16 and 19 were completed Dec. 5, and the Secretary of State certified the general election on Dec. 6, 2024. Colorado Department of State, Fact Sheet: 2024 General Election.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to understand the incident
Two conclusions belong together: an important publication control failed, allowing hidden credentials to appear online; and Colorado’s subsequent response and 2024 audit findings were reported by the state as showing no evidence of unauthorized access and accurate tabulation. The investigation’s finding that the posting was accidental explains how it happened, but does not make the disclosure harmless. Conversely, the disclosure alone is not evidence that votes were changed.
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