Alleged bomb threats briefly interrupted voting at two centers in Fulton County, Georgia, during the presidential election day on November 5. The temporary evacuations, prompted by alerts received by authorities, caused concern among voters, but following a swift security response, the locations resumed operations. Meanwhile, the FBI debunked rumors about terrorist warnings circulating on social media, reiterating that the security of the polling places remains under control.
The presidential election day in the United States, held on November 5, has faced various setbacks, including extreme weather phenomena and technical problems at some polling places. Despite these interruptions, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has assured that there have been no significant incidents compromising the security of the electoral infrastructure nationwide.
Cait Conley, CISA’s senior advisor, informed at a press conference that they have detected “expected, routine, and planned events,” such as adverse weather conditions and temporary failures in some infrastructures. However, the official declined to specify the affected locations.
Alleged bomb threats temporarily disrupted voting at two centers in Fulton County, Georgia, near Atlanta. According to Nadine Williams, the county’s director of registration and elections, the bomb threats forced the evacuation of two locations for about 30 minutes. Both sites resumed operations after authorities confirmed their safety, and Williams indicated they would seek a court order to extend voting hours at those locations.
In Pennsylvania, technical problems also affected voting in some districts. In Bedford County, officials detected malfunctions in the tabulator machines of several districts, which were resolved by support teams without affecting the voting process. Meanwhile, Cambria County experienced software malfunctions that temporarily affected ballot scanning. The Pennsylvania Department of State is working with local officials to normalize the situation.
In terms of security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) debunked the validity of two videos circulating on social media, which falsely claimed that the agency had issued warnings about terrorist threats at polling places. In a statement, the FBI clarified that the videos were “fabricated” and do not reflect the current situation or the security of the elections.
“The FBI was made aware of two instances in which its name and badge were improperly used to promote false narratives surrounding the elections. The first is a fabricated news video purporting to be a terrorist warning issued by the FBI. The fabricated news video falsely reports that the FBI allegedly stated that Americans should ‘vote remotely’ due to a significant terrorist threat at polling places. This video is not authentic and does not accurately represent the current threat posture or the security of polling locations,” stated the FBI in a release.
