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The US Federal Election Commission (FEC) was targeted by a hacker or hackers, disrupting its electronic filing system days before the November 3 midterm elections, Reuters reported in an exclusive report, citing an email seen by the news agency.
The outage comes as political groups and super PACs spend record amounts in the final days of the election campaign, which will determine whether US President Donald Trump's Republican Party retains its majorities in Congress. In a statement, the FEC said its electronic filing system was offline, adding that its information technology staff were working to restore the service. An email sent by an FEC electronic filings officer to campaign compliance firms on Monday night (local time) said, "We have a bad actor attempting to breach FEC systems. As a result, we've had to temporarily shut down our web-facing services," according to Reuters. The outage has prevented political organisations from filing mandatory 24-hour and 48-hour campaign spending reports, which provide information about spending on specific races. However, users could still search the FEC website for previously filed reports, Reuters reported. The FEC later said the issue had been identified and a fix was being implemented. The agency did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment, while the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation referred questions to the FEC. The FEC tracks campaign spending by candidates and political committees but does not administer US elections. The disruption is therefore not expected to affect voters' ability to cast their ballots. The cyber incident comes as Trump has emphasised election integrity ahead of the November 3 polls, which will determine control of both chambers of Congress and influence his legislative agenda for the remainder of his term. Trump has said he would respect the midterm election results if the polls were conducted honestly, while warning that he could use his veto power if necessary. "We'll figure a way. I have a strong veto. I hope that won't be the case, but if it is, that's happened before I will -- if they're honest elections," Trump told reporters. Earlier, Trump announced a USD 1 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals involved in voter fraud linked to previous elections or the upcoming 2026 midterms. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, "Anybody reporting Voter Fraud in the past Elections, or the upcoming 2026 Midterm Election, will be paid $1,000,000 upon the arrest and conviction of those who created the Fraud! Thank you for your attention to this matter." The November 3 elections will see all 435 seats in the House of Representatives contested, along with approximately one-third of the Senate seats. The results are expected to shape the balance of political power in Washington and determine the extent to which the administration can advance its policy priorities. According to a CBS News poll published on Sunday, Democrats are projected to win 229 seats in the House, potentially securing a majority, although Republicans retain a narrow path to holding control. The CBS News/YouGov survey, conducted among 2,355 US adults between October 21 and 23, found that inflation, rising prices and broader economic concerns remain central to voters' decisions. It also indicated that many voters are motivated by opposition to the rival party rather than confidence in their preferred party's policy agenda. The survey further found that more Democratic voters said they were certain to vote or had already voted early, while less committed voters tended to lean Republican, making turnout a potentially decisive factor. (ANI)
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