'Election Day Switch' Hoax at GMU

The Washington Post reports that hackers commandeered a George Mason University mailing list and sent a message to some 35,000 students, faculty, and staff members advising them vote on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. The text of the email, which purported to originate from the office of Provost Peter N. Stearns, read as follows:

Please note that election day has been moved to November 5th. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

A George Mason spokesman said it's unclear whether the notice was intended as a joke or a serious attempt to disrupt voting. University Police and the FBI are investigating.

Virginians were subjected to a similar hoax a week-and-a-half ago when a flier printed on Commonwealth of Virginia stationery circulated instructing Republicans to vote on November 4 and Democrats to vote on November 5.

Another email variant dates back to the 2000 presidential election.

Update: Election Hoax Sent Via D.C. Based E-Campaign Group