Declassified files reveal election security flaws despite 2020 'most secure' claim

Declassified material released this summer undermines the administration's claim that the 2020 election was the most secure in American history. The records reveal that federal agencies possessed intelligence about serious security gaps, foreign data breaches and potential manipulation avenues. The FBI probed a Maricopa County intrusion that resulted in the theft of 633,000 voter files, including sensitive information on vulnerable individuals, yet no charges were filed.

Intelligence agencies later determined that China obtained 220 million voter records through buying, stealing or hacking, a activity now classified as election interference. A CIA summary warned that Venezuelan officials had explored ways to falsify electronic voting outcomes, raising doubts about the resilience of U.S. voting machines. Homeland Security analysts found large numbers of illegal aliens on voter rolls in multiple states, and a New Jersey software glitch erroneously added 6,600 non-citizens, with about 400 casting ballots. Although no evidence of vote tampering or widespread fraud has surfaced, the disclosures highlight the ease with which domestic or foreign actors could exploit voter data and election infrastructure.