Meta Admits Error After Restricting TX-03 Congressional Candidate Evan Hunt’s Accounts

By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews

McKINNEY, Texas — Meta says it mistakenly restricted the Facebook and Instagram accounts of TX-03 congressional candidate Evan Hunt after its identity-verification system rejected his Texas driver’s license twice.

The restrictions were set to remain until Oct. 17 — two days before early voting begins in Texas.

“Both times it simply came back ‘ID verification failed,’” Hunt told TX3DNews.

Hunt, the Democrat challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Keith Self, said the restrictions affected his personal, campaign and business accounts and left him unable to get an explanation from Meta despite repeated support requests.

After TX3DNews contacted the company about Hunt’s case, Meta confirmed Monday that the restriction was a mistake.

“The restrictions were placed in error and have been removed,” Meta said.

What Meta has not explained is why Hunt’s driver’s license was rejected twice or why he was unable to resolve the problem through the company’s normal support channels.

Hunt Says Attempts to Resolve Problem Went Unanswered

Before Meta removed the restrictions, Hunt said he tried repeatedly to resolve the problem through Facebook’s support system.

“I received no prior warning and no explanation of why my ID failed,” Hunt said. “I’ve repeatedly used Facebook’s ‘shake to report a problem’ feature and submitted support requests without a substantive response.”

What frustrated Hunt was the lack of a clear way to challenge the decision.

“If my driver’s license supposedly failed, why not tell me why? Why not ask for another form of identification?” Hunt said. “Why isn’t there someone I can actually call to resolve a verification problem, particularly when the account belongs to a candidate for federal office?”

The restrictions also limited Hunt’s ability to post and interact in local Facebook groups, one way his campaign reaches TX-03 voters. Hunt said the campaign continued its outreach through email, community events, block walking, phone calls and other platforms.

There was also the question of timing.

Hunt said Facebook asked him to verify his identity shortly after he posted a video challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Keith Self to a debate.

“I have no evidence this was intentionally political, but the timing is concerning,” Hunt said.

There is no evidence that Hunt’s debate video or political activity triggered the restriction. Meta has confirmed the restrictions were placed in error but has not explained what caused them.

Republican Commissioner Describes Similar Experience

Hunt isn’t the only Collin County political figure to have a driver’s license rejected by Meta.

Republican Collin County Commissioner Darrell Hale said he encountered a similar problem about two years ago, when Meta rejected a driver’s license it had previously accepted.

“I had to upload a different type of documentation through an appeals process after they rejected my driver’s license which I had used to verify my ID four years prior,” Hale told TX3DNews.

Hale said the appeal took about 45 to 60 days, and he was never able to speak with someone who could resolve the issue.

“Never spoke to a person and online chat couldn’t resolve,” Hale said. “I had been a business customer for years as well so it was very frustrating.”

The two cases may not have the same cause, but both Hunt and Hale describe the same basic problem: Meta rejected their driver’s licenses, and neither could readily reach someone who could explain why.

Meta Fixed the Error, but Hasn’t Explained It

Meta confirmed the restrictions were placed in error and removed, but the company has not said what went wrong.

TX3DNews asked Meta why Hunt’s driver’s license was rejected twice, whether the decision was automated or involved human review, and what someone is supposed to do when the normal support process fails. Meta was also asked whether candidates have access to an expedited review process during an election.

Those questions remain unanswered.

Hunt’s case was resolved, but Hale’s experience shows how long that process can take. His restriction lasted 45 to 60 days before an appeal was successful, and he said he never spoke with anyone who could resolve the problem.

That raises a harder question for a company whose platforms are used by candidates, elected officials, businesses and millions of others to communicate with the public: What happens when Meta gets it wrong and the person on the other side can’t get anyone at Meta to fix it?

For Hunt, the mistake was corrected. Meta still hasn’t explained why it happened—or what would have happened if it hadn’t been brought to the company’s attention.