WASHINGTON — The White House has delayed the release of a U.S. government report examining vulnerabilities in voting machines ahead of the November midterm elections, according to people familiar with the matter, prompting questions from election officials and lawmakers about the status of the study. The report was prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and has been under review for several months, Reuters reported on Friday.
According to three sources familiar with internal deliberations, the report identifies security weaknesses in voting systems and recommends measures that could improve protections, including software updates and other safeguards. The report does not conclude that votes were altered or that election results were manipulated, the sources said.
The delay comes months before congressional midterm elections and amid heightened scrutiny of election administration in the United States. Election systems are primarily managed by individual states under the U.S. Constitution, while federal agencies provide security guidance and support.
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 former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had taken “actions within her authorities” to support efforts to secure election infrastructure.
The report was commissioned as part of a broader administration review of election security. Sources told Reuters that officials within ODNI briefed the White House on the findings over the past six months but did not receive authorization to publish the document. It remains unclear whether the report will be released under interim intelligence chief Bill Pulte, who assumed the role after Gabbard stepped down on Friday.
The unreleased study is one of two reviews commissioned by ODNI. A separate report prepared by contractor Mojave Research examined voting equipment and also remains unpublished. Sources familiar with that review said it found no evidence that voting machines had been hacked or used to manipulate election outcomes.
Election security has remained a politically sensitive issue since the 2020 presidential election. Numerous court cases challenging that election’s outcome failed to establish widespread voter fraud, according to court records cited by Reuters. Federal and state election officials have repeatedly stated that they found no evidence of systemic manipulation affecting the result.
As of June 20, the White House had not announced a timetable for publication of the voting machine report. Officials said assistance to state and local election administrators would continue, while the status of the study and its recommendations remained under review.
