Polling places hit by ‘Russian’ bomb threats

The FBI says fake ‘Russian bomb threats’ have been made to polling places in several states as Americans cast their ballots in one of the closest elections in U.S. history.

Polling places in swing states of Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin were targeted in the plot by the Russians.

But none of the threats have been ‘determined to be credible thus far,’ the FBI said in a statement on Election Day.

‘The FBI is aware of bomb threats to polling locations in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains.’

After an early morning bomb scare in Atlanta, Georgia, shuttered two polling locations, another round of threats came in the evening halting voting and prompting evacuations. 

Police have responded to Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library due to a bomb threat on Tuesday evening.

DeKalb County had evacuations at seven different locations – five of them polling stations. Officials there are requesting extensions in voting times and saying those in line there will be allowed to vote.

Police have done multiple bomb sweeps at different areas as threatening calls have come in.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said earlier Tuesday that Russians were involved in the threats, particularly one that shuttered a school and polling location in nearby Fulton County south of Atlanta.

‘Georgia is not going to be intimidated. Russia just decided they picked on the wrong Georgia,” Raffensperger said Tuesday. ‘They need to pick on the other one in the Black Sea because we’re no going to be intimidated, but we’re just excited about where we are right now.’

The Arizona Secretary of State’s office similarly confirmed Tuesday that ‘foreign enemies’ like Russia were involved in unsubstantiated bomb threats made in the northern part of the state.

Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State, said Russians carried out a phony bomb threat at a polling location on Election Day

Citizens participate in early voting at a Dekalb County advance polling location in Atlanta

Fulton County School Police also received threats at a school that was also polling place around 8:15 am ET on Tuesday morning.

Feldwood Elementary School in south Fulton was cleared by authorities and no evidence of a bomb was found. 

Raffensperger said: ‘We’ve heard some threats that were of Russian origin. It was a bomb threat.’ 

He said that his team did not think that they were ‘viable’ threats.  

‘But in the interest of public safety you always check that out,’ Raffensperger continued. 

‘They’re not our friends,’ the Georgia official said of the Russians. ‘They’re up to mischief it seems and they don’t want us to have a smooth, fair and accurate election.’

‘And they think they can make us fight amongst ourselves.’

Ultimately the phony bomb threat will not have an impact on the result of the election, authorities confirmed.

During a press conference Tuesday afternoon Fulton County Election Director Nadine Williams said that five locations received threats, but only two were evacuated. 

She said the whole disruption lasted less than an hour.

The impacted polling locations will now stay open later than the expected 7 pm ET closing time.

An Atlanta voter casts their ballot

A family casts their ballots at the Fulton County Ponce de Leon Library voting precinct on Election Day in Atlanta, Georgia

Local election officials said that the location likely will remain open an additional 30 minutes until around 7:30 pm local time.

‘Election integrity is among the FBI’s highest 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 to protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote.’