Several polling sites in Fulton County, Georgia, received "noncredible" bomb threats believed to be from Russia that disrupted voting Tuesday.
The threats prompted temporary evacuations of at least two sites and county officials are seeking to keep those sites open for an extra 30 minutes to make up for the lost time.
In a press conference Tuesday morning, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said, "We’ve heard some threats that are Russian in origin. I don’t know how to describe that that’s viable — we don't think they are, but in the interest of public safety, we always check that out, and we’ll just continue to be very responsible when we hear about stuff like that."
"We identified the source, and it was from Russia," he said. "They’re up to mischief, it seems, and they don’t want us to have a smooth, fair and accurate election. Anything that can get us to fight amongst ourselves — they can count that as a victory."
In a statement, the FBI said, "The FBI is aware of bomb threats to polling locations in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains. None of the threats have been determined to be credible thus far.
"Election integrity is among the FBI’s highest priorities. 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."
The county has requested a court order to extend voting hours at C.H. Gullatt Elementary and Etris-Darnell Senior Center, just outside of Atlanta. Fulton County Election Director Nadine Williams said, We remain prepared to address any misinformation or additional disruptions to ensure a smooth experience for all voters today."
Kate McManus ✉
Kate McManus is a New Jersey-based Newsmax writer who's spent more than two decades as a journalist.
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