Fact check: Were there any documented security breaches of voting machines during the 2024 presidential election?

1. Summary of the results

While there were numerous documented security breaches of voting machines following the 2020 election ^[1], including incidents in Georgia, Michigan, Colorado, and other states, no documented security breaches occurred during the 2024 presidential election ^[2]. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency stated that "election infrastructure has never been more secure" ^[3], with approximately 98% of ballots having a paper record.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements need to be considered:

• Prior to 2024, there were significant breaches involving two major voting machine manufacturers - Dominion Voting Systems and Election Systems & Software - which together count over 70% of U.S. votes ^[1]
• These historical breaches raised concerns among experts about potential future vulnerabilities, as they could allow bad actors to identify weaknesses or fabricate evidence of tampering ^[4]
• Election officials implemented extensive security measures for 2024, including:
• Isolation of critical systems from the internet
• Secured data transfer methods
• Limited equipment access ^[2]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself might be too narrowly focused on documented breaches while missing the broader context of election security:

• Social media platforms were filled with unsubstantiated claims about voting machine manipulation during the 2024 election, which were consistently debunked by election officials and voting machine manufacturers ^[5]
• Multiple unverified claims about voting machine irregularities, including allegations of vote flipping in Georgia, were explicitly debunked by state officials and voting machine manufacturers ^[5]

Who benefits from different narratives:

• Voting machine manufacturers like Dominion Voting Systems benefit from emphasizing security and debunking claims of breaches to protect their reputation and market share
• Election officials and government agencies benefit from maintaining public trust in the electoral system by highlighting security measures and the absence of breaches
• Political actors might benefit from either narrative - claims of security breaches could be used to challenge unfavorable election results, while claims of security could be used to validate favorable ones