DHS Warns of Security Risks from Chinese Parts in Voting Machines
Secretary Markwayne Mullin mandates paper ballot audits for federal grant eligibility.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

AP Photo/Cliff Owen
Photograph: RedState (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has issued a warning about security risks associated with foreign-made components in U.S. voting machines.
- States seeking full DHS grants must now implement post-election manual counts of paper ballots.
- Intelligence assessments identify China as a persistent cyber threat, with capabilities to access U.S. election systems.
- Major U.S. voting machine companies have acknowledged using components manufactured in China.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
60/100
Hype
60/100
7 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 7 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has alerted the White House Transparency Task Force to security risks posed by voting machines containing components manufactured by foreign adversaries. Intelligence assessments indicate that China remains the most active and persistent cyber threat to U.S. networks, and that adversaries including China, Iran, and Russia possess the technical capability to access U.S. election-related systems. Mullin stated that to receive full DHS grants, states must conduct post-election manual counts of paper ballots.
Mullin's warning, detailed in a letter, highlights that vulnerabilities in the election infrastructure supply chain could allow malicious actors to compromise election systems at any stage, even before machines are assembled. He noted that if a component is tampered with during manufacturing, it could enable synchronized attacks across multiple machines and jurisdictions. Major U.S. voting machine companies, including ES&S, Hart InterCivic, and Dominion, which together hold more than 80% of the market share, have acknowledged using components manufactured in China.
Disagreement on past manipulation
RedState reported that an administration official stated there is no intelligence indicating China has successfully manipulated an American vote count. Just the News also reported this statement from a White House Transparency Task Force official.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated reports below mention the specific percentage of ballots that must be manually audited, although [your]NEWS mentions "at least 5%" in its digest. The full reports from RedState and Just the News do not specify a percentage.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 27 Aug 2026, 17:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated centre has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Right
7 rated outlets
- Right-rated reports led with the Department of Homeland Security's warning about Chinese parts in voting machines and the subsequent requirement for paper ballot audits. RedState and Just the News, which provided full reports, quoted Secretary Markwayne Mullin stating that "Voting machines with components manufactured by foreign adversaries introduce significant security risks." These reports also highlighted intelligence assessments identifying China as a persistent cyber threat and noted that major U.S. voting machine companies have acknowledged using Chinese components. The reports from the digests, including [your]NEWS, The Daily Signal, Geller Report, PJ Media, and WLTReport, similarly focused on the DHS mandate for paper ballot audits and the security concerns linked to Chinese-made parts.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover DHS Warns of Security Risks from Chinese Parts in Voting Machines?
- Of the 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 0% are rated centre, 100% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is DHS Warns of Security Risks from Chinese Parts in Voting Machines left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of DHS Warns of Security Risks from Chinese Parts in Voting Machines biased?
- DHS Warns of Security Risks from Chinese Parts in Voting Machines is one event reported by 7 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting DHS Warns of Security Risks from Chinese Parts in Voting Machines?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered DHS Warns of Security Risks from Chinese Parts in Voting Machines?
- 7 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What is the Department of Homeland Security warning about voting machines?
- Secretary Markwayne Mullin has warned that voting machines containing components manufactured by foreign adversaries, particularly China, introduce significant security risks. These vulnerabilities could allow malicious actors to compromise election infrastructure.
- What new requirement is the DHS imposing on states?
- To receive full federal election security grants, states must now conduct post-election manual counts of paper ballots. This measure is intended to verify election results and mitigate potential security risks.
- Which countries are identified as cyber threats to U.S. election systems?
- Intelligence assessments identify China as the most active and persistent cyber threat. The assessments also state that adversaries including China, Iran, and Russia have the technical capability to access U.S. election-related networks and systems.
- Do major U.S. voting machine companies use Chinese parts?
- Yes, major U.S. voting machine companies such as ES&S, Hart InterCivic, and Dominion have acknowledged using components manufactured in China. These companies represent over 80% of the market share for voting systems in the U.S.
Read it at the source
7 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Right
7- DHS Orders Paper Ballot Audits as Officials Raise Security Concerns Over Chinese-Made Voting Machine Components (opens [your]NEWS in a new tab)
[your]NEWS — is [your]NEWS biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Voting Machines Are 'Perfect' — Except for Those Pesky China-Made Parts, DHS Warns (opens RedState in a new tab)
- China-Made Voting Machine Parts Face DHS Funding Scrutiny (opens The Daily Signal in a new tab)
The Daily Signal — is The Daily Signal biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Homeland Security Warns of Chinese parts in Election Machines, Will Require Paper Ballot Audits (opens Geller Report in a new tab)
Geller Report — is Geller Report biased? Our profile of this outlet
- DHS Secretary Says Chinese Parts in Voting Machines Necessitate Audit (opens PJ Media in a new tab)
- DHS Requires Random Paper Ballot Audits, Citing Chinese Parts In Voting Machines (opens WLTReport in a new tab)
- Homeland Security warns of Chinese parts in election machines, will require paper ballot audits (opens Just the News in a new tab)
Just the News — is Just the News biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
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