What happened to the FEC website? Hackers disrupt campaign finance filings before US midterms

The Federal Election Commission’s electronic filing system went offline days just before the November 3 US midterm elections following a reported attempt to breach its systems. The outage disrupted the submission of campaign finance reports. It raised concerns about transparency as candidates and political groups spend heavily in the final days of the races.

What happened to the FEC system?

The FEC’s electronic filing system went offline at around 10 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, October 26, according to a status notice cited by Reuters. An email reviewed by Reuters said an unidentified “bad actor” was attempting to breach the agency’s systems, prompting officials to temporarily shut down public-facing services.

According to NBC News, the FEC said in a statement, "at this time, the FEC’s electronic filing system is currently offline and our IT staff are actively working to restore service."


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By Tuesday evening, the FEC said the issue had been identified and a fix was being implemented. However, the filing system remained offline at that time.

Candidates and political committees could not be able to file their 24-hour and 48-hour campaign spending reports because of the outrage. The timing raised concerns because the midterms were entering their final week. Steven Mele, president and CEO at political finance compliance firm MBA Consulting Group said, as per NBC News, "I've never seen this in 26 years."

The FEC said people could still search its website for previously filed reports. The outage affected the electronic filing system, not voters’ ability to cast ballots.

Why is the outage significant before the November 3 elections?

The disruption came as political groups spent large sums on campaign advertising. Reuters reported, citing AdImpact, that spending and future advertising reservations for the 2026 midterms had reached about $11.21 billion.

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Brendan Glavin, research director at nonpartisan campaign watchdog group OpenSecrets said "It's a big deal," about the outrage as per NBC News. He added that Super PACs and other groups have spent an average of over $50 million per day over the last week.

Earlier also, as per The New York Times, OpenAI agents targeted government websites in September. There was interference with the Education Department, Commerce Department and Securities and Exchange Commission websites. The hackers tried to hack into the Education Department’s civil rights database.