Russian actors called hoax bomb threats to polling places in battleground states on Tuesday, federal and state law enforcement officials said, in an apparent attempt to disrupt or delay voting in Democratic areas.
A law enforcement official told McClatchy that the states involved in the Russian effort are Georgia, Michigan, Arizona and Wisconsin.
Election officials in Georgia, who appeared to bear the brunt of the effort on Tuesday, said that “every resource we have will be used to ensure that every citizen who wants to vote has the opportunity.” The Russian operatives appeared to target black-majority districts in the state, which vote overwhelmingly for Democrats.
Polls in Georgia — with the exception of the 10 affected by the threats — closed at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.
Officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, along with other intelligence and law enforcement officials, have concluded that Moscow prefers the Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, to win the election against his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a statement, the FBI said it was “aware of bomb threats to polling places in several states, many of which appear to have originated from Russian email domains. None of the threats have yet been determined to be credible.”
“Election integrity is one of the FBI’s highest priorities,” the agency said. “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.”
