During live coverage of a Formula 1 race on October 30, 2024, WNEP in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, mistakenly aired a graphic suggesting that Vice President Kamala Harris had won the state’s electoral votes a week before the election.
According to sources, the graphic was meant to be a test of the Tegna station’s graphics systems ahead of the November 5, 2024, election night coverage but was accidentally aired live. The post gained attention on X, formerly known as Twitter, with a user named "Boca Vista" implying the station was prematurely declaring a Harris victory.
“How do you know ELECTION RESULTS for Pennsylvania BEFORE the election?? How do you know the EXACT number of votes?You do know YOU will be imprisoned for CHEATING when Trump wins don’t you?” the poster wrote (sic throughout).
The original post garnered only 855 views, according to X analytics, but copies of it have appeared on other platforms. While the station’s error was embarrassing, it’s not uncommon for such mistakes to happen. It was a week before the election, making the graphic’s intent as a test clear.
The X post mistakenly blamed the ABC network, not WNEP. It also made unsubstantiated claims about the media manipulating election results and threatened legal action. However, there is no evidence that WNEP’s numbers were accurate, that they had early access to results, or that they officially declared Harris the winner. The claims of "cheating" and potential imprisonment are also unfounded.
It's also worth noting that the user "Boca Vista" didn't object to prematurely declaring Donald Trump the winner (which was not true at the time) shortly after the graphic aired, highlighting a potential bias in their accusations.