Georgia election officials had to evacuate two polling locations in Union City in Fulton County on Election Day after what were eventually deemed non-credible bomb threats were called in by a “foreign state actor,” according to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
“We pretty well dispelled that very quickly,” Raffensperger said at a press conference Tuesday morning. “But we want to make sure everything stays safe … That was this morning, and law enforcement jumped right on that and we knew it was coming from a foreign state actor.”
Raffensperger has previously accused Russia of attempting to interfere in the state’s elections, including through the use of videos with disinformation about election integrity.
According to Fulton County officials, a set of five bomb threats were called into law enforcement officials in the morning for two polling sites in Union County, leading to police evacuating the locations to sweep them. No credible threats were found.
“Outside of these brief interruptions, Election Day has remained quiet. … We remain ready and prepared to deal with any other potential disruptions,” a Fulton County election official said at a press conference.
The county is seeking a court order to extend polling hours for the two locations, Etris-Darnell Senior Center and C.H. Gullatt Elementary School, from 7 p.m. Eastern to 7:30 p.m.
Raffensperger said that Georgia is prepared to “quickly” deal with threats and that poll stations across the state remain safe despite the threats being called in.
“All the other counties just continued on with voting unimpeded,” he said. “It was about five to seven different precincts that were affected in one.”
Georgia is a key swing state in this election and has been a target of Russian disinformation in the last month. Raffensperger previously blamed the Russians for a cyber attack on his department’s website on October 14.
“The Fulton County Police Department has responded to multiple calls regarding threats at Fulton County Polling Places since polls opened this morning,” the department wrote on social media.
“Disruption of the voting process is a crime and individuals found to be making disruptive threats will face charges,” the department added. “We want to assure voters that their safety is our highest priority. Voters will see officers at all 177 polling places today. Fulton County Police Department is also coordinating with each of the law enforcement agencies within Fulton County to prevent and swiftly respond to any incidents.”
The Hill has contacted the Department of Homeland Security and the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. for comment. The Department of Defense declined to comment.
—Brad Dress contributed to this report.
