The Trump administration considered methods to circumvent Election Assistance Commission (EAC) guidelines for state voting machines, according to a Reuters report.

Four anonymous sources revealed that White House officials spent months debating ways to bypass the agency's regulations, including proposals to declare a national emergency to create a federal task force addressing voting system vulnerabilities.The plan originated from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), though the recommendation was never published.

Trump fired two Democratic EAC commissioners and allowed its Republican commissioner to resign months before the 2026 midterms, citing frustration with slow updates to voting machine guidelines.

Officials from Homeland Security, ODNI, and the White House met with EAC leaders to discuss flaws in voting machines they believed contributed to anomalies in the 2020 election.

While the administration did not clarify its reasons for ousting EAC leadership, sources indicated ongoing complaints about the commission's responsiveness since last fall.The report highlights concerns over election security and administrative tensions within the Trump-led government.