A Denver judge has denied a request by the Libertarian Party to conduct a hand-count of ballots in over half of Colorado’s counties, following a massive security breach in the state’s election system.
According to The Denver Post, Judge Kandace Gerdes ruled on Tuesday that there was no evidence of any tampering or manipulation of the election process, despite the fact that passwords for the state’s voting systems were reportedly made available to the public by the Secretary of State’s office. The judge stated that she did not have the authority to settle certain aspects of the case, leaving room for potential appeal.
This decision comes after it was revealed that passwords connected to election systems in 34 out of 64 Colorado counties were accessible on the Secretary of State’s website for several months. The department claimed that an employee accidentally posted the passwords and left the position before the security breach was discovered. However, the law states that knowingly publishing election passwords is a felony offense.
In response to the ruling, Chairman Dave Williams of the Colorado GOP expressed his disappointment, stating that while the lawsuit was well-intentioned, it was rushed. He also mentioned that the party is pursuing their own legal efforts to safeguard the integrity of the election.
“While we commend the Colorado Libertarian Party for wanting to hold the Secretary accountable, we were always concerned about the premature nature of filing their lawsuit, especially before a Democrat-appointed judge,” said Williams to The Daily Caller. “Unfortunately, the plaintiffs rushed into this fight and likely made our Party’s ongoing legal efforts more complicated with this ruling. Time will tell on what may be contested, but we will continue to pursue other legal avenues in the meantime to safeguard our elections and hold Jena Griswold’s feet to the fire.”
In light of these events, it is clear that the security of our election systems must be a top priority. The fact that passwords were publicly available for months raises serious concerns about the overall security and integrity of the voting process. This is especially concerning given the high stakes of the 2024 election.
The CO Libertarian case was denied by Judge Gerdes in Denver District Court. We all knew this was a possibility since we have a weaponized justice system. The libertarians are planning their appeal already. We must continue to fight for what is right! pic.twitter.com/sigSiWrxQ0
— grassrootsconnect.us (@grassrootsunify) November 5, 2024
As President Trump has repeatedly stressed, it is crucial that we have a fair and transparent election system. The ruling by Judge Gerdes may have denied a hand-count of ballots, but it does not change the fact that there was a serious security breach in the state’s voting systems. This further emphasizes the need for strong measures to be taken to ensure the safety and accuracy of our elections. We must continue to fight for a system that upholds the principles of democracy and protects the voices of the American people.