Several bomb threats targeted polling stations and municipal buildings across Pennsylvania on the day of the US election, the governor of this key state, Josh Shapiro, said Tuesday evening. So far, there is no credible threat to the public, he assured, adding that state authorities are investigating with the FBI, the American federal police.
In Chester County, a bomb threat caused the evacuation of a government building where elections services are located, Josh Maxwell, president of the county election board, announced Tuesday evening on the social network , “voting hours for the two neighboring polling stations have been extended until 10 p.m.,” he said.
After the building was searched by dogs, the counting could resume. “Half of our election work was delayed about an hour and a half,” Josh Maxwell tweeted later.
A bomb threat on an administrative building also disrupted voting in Clearfield County, northeast of Pittsburgh. A judge thus extended the vote until 9 p.m.
Waiting up to six hours to vote
A decision which, however, was rejected in Bethlehem Ward, still in Pennsylvania. Democrats had asked the judge to extend voting in the Bethlehem Ward 3 office, near Lehig University, until 10 p.m. local to deal with lines that they said stretched four hours.
Two students told CNN they waited six hours to vote. Internet users shared the impressive queues around the university on social networks.
Democrats alleged that the elections office did not provide enough voting machines or on-site staff. The judge denied the request but said registered voters who were still in line at 8 p.m. will be able to vote.
Threats attributed to Russia
Additional bomb threats were reported in other key states on Election Day, including Georgia and Arizona. The FBI said in a statement “that it is aware of bomb threats at polling places in several states, several of which appear to emanate from Russian Internet domain names.”
“None of these threats have so far been considered credible,” stressed the FBI, without specifying the states concerned and calling on the population to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.
In DeKalb County, Atlanta, similar alerts targeted five polling places. A judge consequently extended voting hours in the sites concerned.
