Efforts To Facilitate Unauthorized Access To Local Voting Equipment

Following the 2020 presidential election, individuals allied with Donald Trump pursued coordinated efforts to gain unauthorized access to local voting machines and election-system software in multiple states, including Michigan, Georgia, and Colorado. These efforts were aimed at substantiating Trump’s false claims that voting machines had been manipulated, despite repeated findings by state officials, federal agencies, and courts that no such manipulation had occurred.

In Michigan, Trump allies focused on Antrim County, where a clerical error initially caused unofficial results to be misreported before being promptly corrected. Despite the error being publicly explained and resolved, Trump publicly amplified claims that the incident demonstrated systemic machine fraud. Trump-aligned operatives later obtained access to voting system information in the county, and forensic reports produced by Trump supporters were circulated nationally despite being rejected by state officials as inaccurate and misleading. Michigan authorities later investigated whether election systems had been improperly accessed or copied.

In Georgia, unauthorized access occurred in Coffee County, where Trump allies coordinated with local election officials to gain access to voting machines after certification. Surveillance footage later revealed that individuals associated with Trump’s post-election efforts entered secure election offices and copied sensitive election-system software and data. These actions occurred after Georgia had certified its election results. State investigators concluded that the access was not authorized under Georgia law and referred the matter for criminal investigation.

In Colorado, the most direct criminal consequences emerged. Tina Peters, the Republican clerk of Mesa County and a vocal Trump supporter, facilitated unauthorized access to voting equipment by allowing a private individual associated with Trump-aligned election conspiracy efforts to copy hard drives containing voting system software. Peters later promoted claims of election fraud based on the copied data. Colorado authorities determined the access violated state election security laws, and Peters was later criminally charged and convicted for her role in breaching secure election systems.

Investigators found that these access attempts were not isolated technical inquiries but part of a broader effort to generate material that could be used to support Trump’s false fraud narrative. Copies of election-system software were distributed among Trump allies and cited in lawsuits, media appearances, and lobbying efforts aimed at pressuring state and federal officials to overturn election results. Federal agencies warned that the dissemination of such software created serious security risks to election infrastructure.

State and federal investigators concluded that these efforts endangered election security, violated safeguards protecting critical infrastructure, and were undertaken despite repeated warnings that the claims motivating them were false. These findings reinforced conclusions that Trump’s allies sought to manufacture evidence after the election rather than uncover legitimate irregularities.

How the Laws May Apply

18 U.S.C. § 1030 — Unauthorized access to protected election systems, or conspiring to obtain such access, may violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

18 U.S.C. § 371 — Coordinating efforts to unlawfully obtain voting-system data may constitute a conspiracy to interfere with lawful government functions.

State-level statutes — Unauthorized access to voting equipment may violate state election-security and computer-crime laws, several of which resulted in criminal charges and convictions.

Sources

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-allies-sought-voting-machine-data-jan-6-probe-finds-2022-06-21/

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/21/us/politics/trump-voting-machines-michigan-georgia.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/21/trump-voting-machines-jan-6/

https://www.justice.gov/archives/sco/file/1373816/download

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/14/politics/tina-peters-colorado-election-case/index.html

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/former-colorado-clerk-convicted-voting-machine-breach-2024-08-12/

https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-election-security-breach-coffee-county/7Y7Z7X5NRNAQ5C2FZQOTGZK6VI/

https://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-1633_11926-551192--,00.html