According to Reuters, White House officials have held back a government report for several months. The report highlights serious security gaps in the nation’s voting machines. It was prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
The document explains how states could better protect their voting systems, including by performing tasks like software updates. While the report covers various security gaps in how these machines work during elections, it clearly states there is no evidence that these weaknesses have led to any actual vote manipulation.
The timing of the delay stands out as the November midterms approach. The decision to withhold the report has reportedly caused friction inside the administration. Some officials are worried that releasing it could hurt voter confidence, especially among Republicans.
The report is tied to a broader push to investigate election fraud
Others feel the report does not go far enough to support President Donald Trump’s claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. Some Democrats have privately raised concerns that the investigation into these machines could eventually be used to push states toward paper ballots.
The report is part of a larger administration effort to look into possible election fraud. This effort follows an executive order President Trump signed in 2025, which seeks to give the federal government more authority over how elections are run. Under the U.S. Constitution, states hold the primary authority over how their own elections are conducted. The push comes amid rigging concerns tied to Noem’s election comments ahead of the midterms.
ODNI has been briefing the White House on its findings for about six months, but has not received approval to publish the report. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who led the investigation into the voting machines, is stepping down on June 19, 2026. Bill Pulte, a federal housing regulator, is set to take over as interim director.
President Trump has said he wants Pulte to look into rigged elections during his time at the agency. It is not yet clear what Pulte will do with the findings, though he has already been briefed on the effort to investigate the machine flaws.
Some of the vulnerabilities described in the report are not new. Prior administrations were already aware of several of these issues, which include machines running outdated software and machines that can connect to the internet, a feature that could potentially be exploited by hackers. ODNI drew on multiple sources of information, including earlier reports from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), cited by Reuters.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement that the administration “continues to offer assistance to state and local election officials, including through the FBI and CISA, to ensure the security and integrity of all machines used in American elections.”
ODNI spokesperson Olivia Coleman said Gabbard has taken “actions within her authorities” to “support the President’s directive to secure our elections – which includes identifying vulnerabilities in our critical infrastructure.” Separately, allies are reportedly plotting a national emergency declaration ahead of the 2026 elections.
There is also reportedly a second, unpublished report commissioned by ODNI from a government contractor called Mojave Research. That study examined voting machines seized from Puerto Rico.
Two sources told Reuters that the Mojave report found no evidence that the machines had been hacked. Even so, the findings from both reports have come up in White House meetings about whether there is enough evidence to support claims about the 2020 election. As of now, the administration has not approved the release of either report.
Published: Jun 22, 2026 09:45 am