Law enforcement and election officials in New Jersey acted quickly Tuesday to secure voting locations following a series of bomb threats that were later found to be unfounded.
Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, who also serves as the state’s top elections official, said the threat was emailed to seven counties, including Passaic, a key battleground county covered by the Justice Department. election observers were dispatched.
“Law enforcement has determined that there is no credible threat at this time,” Wei said. “We are committed to working closely with our state, local and federal partners to protect voters and poll workers and ensure a smooth and safe election.”
The threats were made as the state’s last day of closely watched voting began. gubernatorial election And one year after the series of bomb threats confused vote During last year’s presidential election, it was mainly held in battleground states. A hoax about a bomb attack was also circulating. Springfield, Ohioafter Donald Trump amplified false claims during his campaign last year that Haitian immigrants were kidnapping and eating pets.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement that Tuesday’s threats included polling places in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Passaic counties. He said some polling stations have already reopened to the public, while others are directing voters to vote at a nearby polling station.
“Law enforcement officers responded at each affected polling place and worked quickly to secure those polling places and ensure the safety of all voters,” Platkin said.
The FBI’s Newark office said it was aware of the reports and was assisting state and local agencies.
Passaic County received three threats and directed some affected voters to other locations early Tuesday, county spokeswoman Lindsey Reed said in an email. One location, the school building, was evacuated and voting resumed.
Passaic is one of six counties in two states where the Justice Department announced last month it would send federal monitors. The remaining five are in California, which is holding special elections to ask voters to redraw state legislative maps as a way to counter Republican redistricting efforts pushed by President Trump.
The Justice Department was responding to requests from Republicans in Democratic-controlled states. The department said the purpose of deploying the monitors is “to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.”
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Associated Press writer Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
