Russia has denied involvement in a series of bomb threats targeting polling places in key battleground states during the U.S. election, calling accusations of interference “malicious slander.” Reports emerged that polling sites in Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, and Wisconsin received bomb threats, with some sources suggesting the warnings originated from Russian email domains. The Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., dismissed these allegations, reiterating that Russia “has not interfered and does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, including the United States.” This statement underscored President Vladimir Putin’s repeated stance of respecting American sovereignty and the will of its people.
On Election Day, polling sites in Georgia faced significant disruptions. In Fulton County, home to much of Atlanta and a stronghold for the Democratic Party, over two dozen bomb threats were reported. The threats led to temporary evacuations at five of the county’s 177 polling stations. Voting resumed after a brief 30-minute suspension, but local officials sought a court order to extend voting hours past the scheduled 7 p.m. closing to ensure all voters had a chance to cast their ballots. DeKalb County, another Democratic-leaning area in Georgia, also received threats at five polling locations. Voting there was briefly halted until police confirmed the sites were secure.
Elsewhere, Michigan officials reported similar hoax threats, though none disrupted voting. Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s Democratic secretary of state, indicated that authorities had flagged the possibility of Russian involvement. Arizona, too, faced scares, with threats reported at four polling sites in Navajo County. In Wisconsin’s state capital, Madison, bomb threats were received but did not interrupt the voting process, according to Ann Jacobs of the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, expressed suspicion that Russia was behind the threats, accusing Moscow of attempting to disrupt the election and sow division. “They’re up to mischief, it seems. They don’t want us to have a smooth, fair, and accurate election,” Raffensperger stated.
The U.S. has previously accused Russia of interference in the 2016 presidential election, where Russian operatives were allegedly involved in cyber activities aimed at influencing the outcome. The U.S. subsequently indicted 12 Russian military intelligence officers for their alleged roles in that election.
However, Cait Conley from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) assured reporters that there had been no significant disruptions to election infrastructure on this Election Day. Conley confirmed that, as of the latest updates, CISA had not detected any major incidents impacting the security of voting systems, though the agency remains vigilant.
Despite the Russian Embassy’s insistence on non-involvement, suspicions linger, particularly as U.S. intelligence agencies continue to monitor election integrity and cybersecurity threats. For now, polling sites affected by the threats are continuing operations with heightened caution, ensuring that voters are able to participate without fear of further disruptions.
