The FBI says fake “Russian bomb threats” have been made at polling places in several states as Americans cast their ballots in one of the closest elections in U.S. history.
Polling places in the swing states of Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin were the target of the Russian plot.
But so far none of the threats have been “determined to be credible,” the FBI said in a statement on Election Day.
“The FBI is aware of bomb threats against polling places in several states, many of which appear to come from Russian email domains.”
Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger gives an update on Election Day in Atlanta, Georgia, US, November 5, 2024.
After an early morning bomb threat in Atlanta, Georgia, closed two polling places, another round of threats came in the evening that suspended voting and prompted evacuations.
Police were called to the Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library for a bomb threat Tuesday night.
DeKalb County had evacuations at seven different locations, five of them polling stations. Officials are asking for extensions to voting times and saying those in line will be able to vote.
Police have carried out multiple bomb raids in different areas as threatening calls came in.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said early Tuesday that Russians were involved in the threats, particularly one that closed a school and polling place in nearby Fulton County, south of Atlanta.
‘Georgia will not be intimidated. “Russia simply decided it had the wrong choice in Georgia,” Raffensperger said Tuesday. “They have to mess with each other in the Black Sea because we are not going to be intimidated, but we are excited about where we are now.”
Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, said the Russians carried out a fake bomb threat at a polling place on Election Day.
Citizens participate in early voting at a Dekalb County early voting location in Atlanta
Fulton County School Police also received threats at a school that was also a polling location around 8:15 a.m. ET Tuesday morning.
Authorities cleared Feldwood Elementary School in south Fulton and no evidence of a bomb was found.
Raffensperger said: “We have heard some threats that were Russian in origin. It was a bomb threat.
He said his team did not believe they were “viable” threats.
“But for the sake of public safety it should always be checked,” Raffensperger continued.
“They are not our friends,” the Georgia official said of the Russians. “It seems like they are up to mischief and don’t want us to have a smooth, fair and accurate election.”
“And they think they can make us fight among ourselves.”
Ultimately, the false bomb threat will have no impact on the outcome of the election, officials confirmed.
During a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Fulton County Elections Director Nadine Williams said five locations received threats, but only two were evacuated.
He said the entire outage lasted less than an hour.
Affected polling locations will now remain open past their scheduled closing time of 7 pm Eastern Time.
An Atlanta voter casts his ballot.
A family casts their ballots at the Fulton County Ponce de León Library precinct on Election Day in Atlanta, Georgia.
Local election officials said the location will likely remain open an additional 30 minutes until around 7:30 p.m. local time.
“Election integrity is among the FBI’s top priorities,” the FBI statement continued.
“We will continue to work closely with our state and local law enforcement partners to respond to any threats to our elections and protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote.”