Colorado Secretary Of State Confirms Mesa County Election Equipment Hard Drive Images Were Publicly Posted
DENVER (CBS4) - The Colorado Secretary of State confirmed the release of images from Mesa County election servers by election conspiracy theorists.
"While the investigation is ongoing, it appears these hard drive images contain copies of the election management software that runs voting system equipment in Mesa County," officials stated.
The U.S. Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency confirmed that it does not view this breach as a significant heightening of the election risk landscape at this point.
One of the hard drive images is believed to have been taken on May 23. Officials now say the secure room where this election equipment is stored was accessed on the evening of Sunday, May 23, 2021, outside of normal work hours, by the Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters; Gerald Wood, an unauthorized individual who attended the Mesa County trusted build; and another Mesa County Clerk and Recorder employee.
"Under the authority outlined in the Colorado Election Code, with respect to the Secretary's role as the Chief Election Officer for the State of Colorado and her duty to supervise the conduct of elections, the Secretary of State Jena Griswold is now determining who to appoint to supervise Mesa County Elections," officials stated.