A Pennsylvania television station ignited a flurry of conspiracy theories when it aired the statewide presidential election results on a graphic, though the election is days away.
The mistake happened on Sunday, but it picked up speed on Wednesday when conservative media outlets, social media skeptics and conspiracy theorists got wind of it, many claiming that this is "proof" the election is rigged.
The flub occurred while the station was airing a Formula 1 race. Viewers then noticed at the bottom of their screen a graphic showing Vice President Kamala Harris winning Pennsylvania by 52% compared to former President Donald Trump's 47%. This stirred confusion and concern, with even Elon Musk, the chairman of X, weighing in, calling it a Freudian slip.
However, the station that was responsible says the mistake was simply a test that accidentally made it on the air and that there is no evidence of any fraud.
In a statement, WNEP-TV says the numbers were "randomly generated test results set out to help news organizations make sure their equipment is working properly in advance of election night." WNEP said it "regrets the error and apologizes apologized for any confusion." It said it has taken steps to ensure the mistake is not repeated.
RELATED STORY | Republicans ask US Supreme Court to block counting of some provisional ballots in Pennsylvania
WNEP-TV also went on to note that it wouldn't have been able to have access to vote counts anyway, as Pennsylvania law doesn't allow mail-in ballots to be taken out of their envelopes until 7 a.m. on Election Day and no votes can be counted until after polls closed at 8 p.m.
This mistake is also not unprecedented. A Detroit TV station made a similar error back in 2020, and in 2022, it occurred in Arizona.
Still, the error is being held up as "evidence" of election fraud and misconduct, mostly by Trump and his allies, with no proof. Many supporters of the former president also pointed to the Pennsylvania station being an ABC-affiliated station, as they've often criticized the friendship between Harris and Dana Walden, an executive of Disney Entertainment who oversees ABC News. However, the error only aired in the local market and was not affiliated with Disney ABC News.
In the weeks and days leading up to the election, officials around the country have had their hands full fighting this disinformation like this. They insist that despite those isolated incidents though, the integrity of the election system in this country is intact.
