WASHINGTON – A series of bomb threats created chaos at numerous polling stations in at least five key swing states on Tuesday.

Polling locations in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Arizona received email threats, which the FBI suspects likely came from Russia.

Although none of the threats were considered credible, they did cause delays for some voters trying to cast their ballots. The threats appeared to mainly target areas leaning Democratic.

In Georgia, over 30 polling locations in the Atlanta metropolitan area received bomb threats. These locations were in Dekalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett Counties, all of which have consistently voted for Democratic candidates in recent presidential elections. Dekalb and Fulton have been Democratic strongholds for many years, and Gwinnett has shifted towards Democratic since the 2016 election.

In Michigan, polling locations in four counties won by President Joe Biden in the 2020 election were targeted, including Washtenaw, Wayne, Genesee, and Saginaw Counties.

In Wisconsin, polling sites in Madison, the capital, faced threats. Biden secured this area by over 50 points in 2020, winning with 75.7% compared to 22.9% for Trump.

In Pennsylvania, crucial counties such as Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia were also targeted by threats. Biden won all of these counties in 2020, and they are considered important by Harris for this election.

One Republican-leaning area also experienced bomb threats: four locations in Navajo County, Arizona, received false bomb threats. Trump previously won this northeastern county by about 8 points in the last election.

Did the threats interrupt voting?

The threats caused interruptions at several polling sites and, in some instances, resulted in extended voting hours.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner informed journalists that while multiple threats were made, only one polling location was closed briefly.

“All the locations were cleared only one was briefly closed for about 23 minutes,” he stated. “Let me reiterate, these were bogus bomb threats. No bombs, no injuries. There was no explosion, nothing like that occurred.”

After a bomb threat was reported on election night, two polling locations in Chester County, Pennsylvania, remained open until 10 p.m. Officials clarified that this building, home to the county’s voter services center, is not where votes are counted.

Officials in nearby Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, mentioned they hadn’t received any bomb threats but were prepared in case they did. York County also received a threat, but local officials reported that voting continued without interruptions.

In Georgia, at least 10 of the affected polling places extended their hours, remaining open for an additional 20-40 minutes, according to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Ann Jacobs, chairperson of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, confirmed that bomb threats at two polling sites in Madison did not disrupt the voting process.

Voting rights advocates in Georgia have not raised concerns that the threats significantly influenced voter turnout. However, some Democratic leaders are worried.

Concerns over Russian involvement

The FBI has stated that the threats appeared to originate from email accounts linked to Russia. Highlighting the importance of election security, the FBI emphasized that it is collaborating closely with state and local law enforcement to address the threats and ensure Americans’ right to vote is protected.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, also attributed the bomb threats to Russia.

“They seem to be creating trouble. They want to disrupt a smooth, fair, and accurate election, and if they can sow discord among us, they achieve a victory,” Raffensperger stated.

State and local officials in the impacted areas are collaborating with federal authorities to investigate the bomb threats.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, responded to the apparent Russian involvement, saying, “Vladimir Putin is being a prick.”