FACT CHECK: Did Pacific Gas & Electric Company ‘Shut Off Power In Republican Areas’ In California On Election Day?

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

A viral post shared on X claims Pacific Gas & Electric Company purportedly shut off power in Republican areas in California on Election Day.

Verdict: False

Pacific Gas & Electric Company stated that they would not shut the power off until after in-person voting had ended. In addition, the counties that were de-energized were won by Democratic President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, according to Politico.

Fact Check:

Donald Trump won his second term, making him the 47th president of the United States of America, according to CNN. Trump won the 270 electoral votes needed to take the presidency, with the state of Wisconsin putting him over the top, the outlet reported.

The X post, which has received 29,000 views as of writing, claims Pacific Gas & Electric Company purportedly shut off power in Republican areas in California on Election Day.

“#BREAKING: THEY SHUT OFF THE POWER ON REPUBLICAN VOTERS Pacific Gas & Electric in California has shut off power in several ‘Republican’ areas,” the post reads. “Why would PG&E cut off electricity to voting polls? ON ELECTION DAY!” the same post adds, alleging that the purported power outage was “planned.”

The claim is false, however. Pacific Gas & Electric Company does not appear to have publicly issued a press release or social media statement responding to the claim.

Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find any credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On Nov. 6, PolitiFact debunked the claim. According to the outlet, Pacific Gas & Electric Company indicated that five polling locations had been identified as “being in scope for a potential public safety power shutoff.” The company also stated that if the power needed to be shut off, “it would occur after in-person voting has ended” and that “temporary generation was staged at these locations.” (RELATED: Are Voters In Kentucky Having Their Votes Switched From Trump To Harris?)

As of 6:30 p.m., the company began to de-energize Lake and Sonoma counties, with Napa and Solano counties following at 7:00 p.m., the company indicated. All four counties were won by Biden during the 2020 election, according to Politico.

Check Your Fact has contacted Pacific Gas & Electric Company for comment.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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