Trump revives voting machine attack claims, experts cite election safeguards

President Donald Trump revived his long-running attack on voting systems Thursday night, telling a primetime audience that voting machines and ballot-counting systems were “extremely exposed to attack” and citing intelligence documents the White House had declassified and released.

Some of the newly released material was tied to a company that is largely not used in U.S. elections, undercutting the sweep of Trump’s warning. U.S. voting infrastructure is built around layers of controls that make routine tampering difficult and make claims that machines are easily compromised misleading.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission calls voting-system security essential to a trustworthy election: “The security of voting systems is essential to a trustworthy election.” Standard safeguards include locks, tamper-evident seals, security cameras, system testing before and after elections, audits, and physical and cybersecurity access controls. Many jurisdictions also use paper ballots, which give officials a record to compare against machine totals and a backup for recounts and post-election reviews.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency maintains an election-security hub for state and local officials. Federal agencies can provide guidance and support, but local election offices run equipment, store ballots, staff polling places and conduct the checks that reveal whether machines are counting properly.

Experts have warned of “serious threats” for 2024 from election equipment software breaches, but that is different from saying voting machines are routinely hacked to alter outcomes. Repeated investigations and audits have debunked claims of widespread fraud or manipulation in the 2020 election and other elections.

Many states still rely on paper ballots, while aging voting infrastructure leaves the U.S. election system vulnerable to attack and contributes to long lines that keep some voters from casting a ballot, the Brennan Center for Justice says.