FBI Office Post Called Election Day Wednesday: Fact-Checkers Note the Midterms Are Today, Tuesday
On November 2, the official X account of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New Haven field office, @FBINewHaven, opened a post with the wrong voting day: "Election day is Wednesday and the #FBI is working around the clock to ensure the midterms are safe." The post spread across social media, drawing many users who pointed out the error. Election Day for the 2026 U.S. midterms is today, Tuesday, November 3, not Wednesday.
The post was meant to promote an election-security interview: the office's Special Agent in Charge P. J. O'Brien and Public Affairs Specialist Christine Jeltema had sat down with The Voice of Connecticut (@thevoiceofct) to discuss how the FBI protects the integrity of elections, including threats, voter intimidation and ballot fraud. By getting the most basic date wrong, the post itself became the story.
Fact-checking outlet Lead Stories published its check in the early hours of November 3, confirming that @FBINewHaven is not a satire or impostor account: it is referenced on the official FBI website. Citing Title 2, Section 7 of the U.S. Code, Lead Stories noted that federal elections fall on "the Tuesday next after the 1st Monday in November," which in 2026 is Tuesday, November 3. Lead Stories said it had reached out to the FBI's New Haven office and had received no reply as of its early-morning update.
Other reporting said the post stayed up for hours before being deleted, was flagged by X's community fact-checking feature in the meantime, and drew posts from commentators with large followings asking why the FBI was telling voters the wrong day, urging people to "Vote on Tuesday Nov 3rd."
Polls in Connecticut are open today from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and voters still in line at 8 p.m. may vote. This story reports only the verified fact that the post stated the wrong day, and does not speculate about why the error occurred.
Source: FBI New Haven post on X
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: FBI总部J. Edgar Hoover大楼资料图（华盛顿，Ajay Suresh摄，CC BY 2.0，经Wikimedia Commons）
