Hack Disrupts Federal Election Commission Filing System Ahead of U.S. Midterms

On October 26 (around 10 p.m. ET), the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) electronic filing platform went offline, a status confirmed by a follow-up message on October 27 that the issue had been identified and a fix was being implemented. The outage halted the submission of mandatory 24-hour and 48-hour spending reports, which disclose how political committees allocate funds in the final days of the campaign. While the public could still search historical filings, campaign finance officers were unable to file new reports, reducing real-time transparency for voters.

Reuters

The disruption occurs amid unprecedented spending in the 2026 midterm elections. Political-ad tracker AdImpact estimates roughly $11.21 billion has been spent on advertising and future reservations, surpassing the previous record set in the 2024 cycle. A large share of this money flows through “super political action committees” (super PACs) and dark-money groups, which can accept unlimited contributions from individuals and corporations and spend without direct donor disclosure.

Reuters

• October 26 – FEC filing system goes offline around 10 p.m. ET.

Reuters

• October 27 – FEC posts status that the problem has been identified and a fix is underway.

Reuters

• November 3 – Scheduled U.S. midterm elections that will determine whether President Donald Trump’s Republican Party retains its congressional majorities.

Japan Times

• $11.21 billion spent on advertising to date (AdImpact).

Reuters

• $50 million+ average daily outlay by super PACs and dark-money groups over the last week (Brendan Glavin, OpenSecrets).

The Straits Times

• $250 million reported spending on October 20 alone (OpenSecrets).

The Straits Times

The FEC issued a statement that its electronic filing system was “currently offline” and that IT staff were actively working to restore service. The agency emphasized that it does not administer elections and that the outage should not affect voters’ ability to cast ballots. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) referred inquiries to the FEC, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) did not immediately comment on the incident.

Reuters

• “At this time, the FEC's electronic filing system is currently offline and our IT staff are actively working to restore service.” — The FEC

Reuters

• “I’ve never seen this in 26 years,” — Steven Mele, president and CEO at political finance compliance firm MBA Consulting Group

The Straits Times