Report: White House delaying release of voting machine security study
FILE-Miami-Dade election workers check voting machines for accuracy at the Miami-Dade Election Department headquarters on July 31, 2024 in Doral, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The White House delayed the release of a federal government report detailing what it characterizes as vulnerabilities in voting machines before midterm elections in November.
Reuters noted, citing three sources familiar with the matter, that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released the report concluding that voting machines in the United States may need more protection like updated software.
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Sources who spoke with Reuters were permitted anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations.
ODNI’s report is part of the Trump administration’s expansive effort to probe possible fraud in U.S. elections after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February 2025 with a goal to give the federal government more oversight over the nation’s elections.
Voting machine security study
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The Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s report reveals vulnerabilities in voting machines, which include running outdated software and its capabilities to connect to the internet, which could make the machines susceptible to hackers.
However, the ODNI report does not infer that vulnerabilities with machines have resulted in votes changing but assesses security gaps in the manner that the voting machines are utilized in the nation’s elections.
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The ODNI informed the White House of its data over the last six months, but was never sanctioned to publish the report, according to Reuters, citing two of the sources familiar with the matter.
Citing the report, Reuters noted that the agency mentioned that many states are using outdated systems.
Meanwhile, the ODNI used information from previously issued reports by CISA, a government cybersystems agency, which referenced hacking conferences in which the agency found some voting machines could be attacked through insecure hardware.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who launched a probe into the voting machines and sought evidence to support President Donald Trump's false election fraud allegations, is stepping down from the role on Friday.
Federal housing regulator Bill Pulte will serve as the interim director of the ODNI with Trump telling reporters that he wants Pulte to investigate what he calls "rigged elections" while Pulte is in his role with the ODNI.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Reuters, which received comments from sources familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.