Colorado's prime election official has ordered a county clerk at hand over extra data concerning a possible violation of safety protocols involving improper dealing with of an election server.

The order issued by Jena Griswold, the state's Democratic secretary of state, is the third of its form to place a neighborhood Republican election official beneath scrutiny for mishandling crucial voting gear.

Griswold stated in a press assertion that the order stemmed from a social media submit by Douglas County Clerk and Recorder Merlin Klotz, who stated his workplace had copied an election server earlier than "a trusted construct" of the county's voting gear was accomplished. The trusted construct is a strategy of updating voting gear in opposition to vulnerabilities, and making a replica of the server violates safety protocol, in line with Griswold's assertion.

In a Telegram submit final week, Klotz stated his workplace made a backup of the server earlier than the trusted construct as his workplace does yearly.

Klotz stated he's involved about what he referred to as a "coordinated effort" between the secretary of state and Dominion Voting Techniques, an organization that has been the topic of baseless accusations by former President Donald Trump and his allies of perpetuating voter fraud within the 2020 election.

Colorado Ballot Count
Ballot staff assessment voter ballots on the Denver Elections Division headquarters in Denver, Colorado on November 3, 2020. Colorado's secretary of state on Thursday ordered a county election official to fork over data on a possible safety breach. Jason Connolly/Getty Photos

Klotz, who was elected to his place in 2014, stated he had attended a symposium by Mike Lindell, the CEO of My Pillow who has unfold conspiracy theories concerning the 2020 election. Klotz wrote that the symposium raised quite a few issues for him concerning the trusted construct's safety.

Whereas Griswold stated the copying of the server does not create "an imminent or direct safety threat to Colorado's elections," her workplace is taking motion after Klotz did not reply to an earlier request for data.

"As Secretary of State, I'll proceed to guard Colorado's election infrastructure to make sure that each eligible Coloradan – Republican, Democrat, and Impartial, alike – has entry to safe elections," she stated within the assertion.

Douglas County spokeswoman Wendy Manitta Holmes advised Newsweek in an e mail that the county had simply acquired the order and was not ready to remark.

Along with requiring detailed details about the copying of the election server, Griswold's order requires Klotz to activate video surveillance of voting gear and guarantee nobody has entry to it unaccompanied. Employees from the Colorado State Division accomplished the county's trusted construct in August 2021.

The order from Griswold is just like one the secretary of state despatched to Elbert County Clerk Dallas Schroeder final week over what she says is his workplace's copying of voting system arduous drives in breach of safety protocols.

Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters has been beneath investigation since January 12 for a safety breach of elections gear. Final October, a decide eliminated Peters because the county's election official after Griswold filed a lawsuit alleging the clerk gave somebody entry to a certified elections space amid a Dominion Voting Techniques software program replace, compromising the county's voting system.

Newsweek has reached out to Griswold's workplace for additional remark.