On Thursday, July 17, 2026, President Trump delivered a primetime speech alleging that voting machines and ballot-counting systems in the United States are "extremely exposed to attack." He claimed, "They're vulnerable and they're easily compromised, and people within our government knew that," referencing intelligence declassified and released by the White House.

Trump also cited CIA intelligence about a plot to use voting machines to "do a big number in favor of the corrupt Maduro regime in Venezuela," implying voter fraud linked to that country. However, the intelligence released focuses on election systems made by Smartmatic, a company whose technology is not used in the U.S. except in Los Angeles County, Georgia. Smartmatic stated it currently has no operations in Venezuela and ceased business there in 2017 after its technology helped reveal false government turnout numbers.

Experts counter Trump's claims, emphasizing that U.S. voting machines are subject to intense controls. They highlight that machines are closely monitored, not connected to the internet, and nearly all states use paper ballots or receipts to enable audits and hand recounts. For instance, every ballot in Georgia's 2020 general election was counted three times: by machines, through a statewide hand recount audit, and via a machine recount requested by the Trump campaign.

The intelligence community's March 2021 report assessed it would be difficult for foreign actors to manipulate election processes at scale without detection through intelligence collection, physical and cyber security monitoring, or post-election audits.

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