The United States has never canceled or postponed a federal general election in its 250-year history.
Posted by Badlands Media, Checked
- Sources
- 1 contradict7 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
Badlands MediaSep 16, 2026
Read as a claim that no national federal general election has ever been canceled or postponed, the sources support it: every source says no nationwide election was ever delayed.
What was said
… I'm 100% positive of it, and the reason is pretty clear, not just because of Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution, the Elections Clause, but because of our 250 year history. In our 250 year history, we have never canceled or postponed a federal general election, not even once not through a civil war, not through two world wars, not through two global pandemics, not through multiple natural disasters that severely afflicted areas, and not even in 1814, when there was a midterm election held after British troops on American soil had burned down the White House. We have never canceled or postponed a federal general election. And if you want more information on that, I'm going to tease now something that's going to be publicized tomorrow. …
Badlands Media · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. A 2026 CRS report states that Governor Torres postponed the 2018 general election in the Northern Mariana Islands after Super Typhoon Yutu, and that the election included a federal contest (U.S. House Delegate), so a federal general election was postponed.[3]
Supports. Multiple sources state that no nationwide or presidential election has ever been canceled or postponed, including during the Civil War, the 1918 pandemic, and the two world wars.[1][2][4][6][7][8]
Supports. Congressional Record material shows that no regularly scheduled national election for federal office had been postponed as of 2004, and the House resolution treats such postponement as unprecedented.[5]
Context. Piecemeal delays of elections in specific localities or states have occurred (e.g., Hurricane Andrew delaying a 1992 Florida primary, 9/11 rescheduling in New York), which are not national general elections.[4]
Sources
8 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 3 primary, 3 not rated
- 1Trump floats election delay, lawmakers in both parties reject ideareuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2If the US General Election Is Delayed, Does Pelosi Become President?snopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Disrupted Federal Elections: Policy Issues for Congresscongress.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts
- 4Elections in a Time of Pandemic: A UConn Legal Expert Explains - UConn Todaytoday.uconn.edu · primary source · cited for: supports, context
- 5Congressional Record, Volume 150 Issue 101 (Tuesday ...govinfo.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 6U.S. presidents can’t cancel or postpone federal electionsapi.politifact.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7Current Issues in Voting - American Bar Associationamericanbar.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 8Fearing Midterm Loss, Trump Once Again Says 'We Shouldn't Even ...commondreams.org · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post