(The Center Square) – Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said Friday that copies of Elbert County’s voting system hard drives ended up in unauthorized hands. 

The announcement comes after Elbert County Clerk and Recorder Dallas Schroeder responded to questions from Griswold regarding a potential breach of security protocols. 

“My office is reviewing the information received about the copying of Elbert County’s voting equipment hard drives,” Griswold said in a statement. “We are continuing to investigate, and will determine any additional steps required. As Secretary of State, I will ensure that every Republican, Democrat, and Unaffiliated voter has access to secure and safe elections.”

According to Griswold's office, Schroeder said he "removed hard drives from the election server, ICC computers, and the adjudication computer and made copies."

Schroeder also said that two individuals who were not employed by the county elections division gave him directions on how to make the copies, according to the secretary of state. Schroeder was also accompanied by the Elbert County elections manager and another individual during the process. 

After the hard drives were copied, Schroeder gave the copies to two attorneys, one of whom was only identified as a “private attorney.” 

In response to Schroeder’s answers, Griswold filed another order requiring Schroeder to retrieve the hard drive copies from the attorneys. The order also requires him to answer additional questions concerning the event.

Griswold added that her office is working in coordination with the Colorado attorney general’s office while it investigates the matter.