A rash of bomb threats has forced the closures of several polling places in counties across New Jersey to ensure the safety of Garden State voters on Election Day, officials said.
Authorities on Tuesday responded to emailed threats targeting voting locations in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic counties, state Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement. Some of those polling places have since been deemed safe and reopened to the public. At others, workers will direct residents to an alternative, nearby voting site
“Voters should continue to have confidence that they can cast their ballot without fear of intimidation, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure a free, fair, and secure election,” Platkin wrote.
“Make no mistake: We will not tolerate any attempts to interfere with our elections, and we will swiftly hold accountable anyone who seeks to interfere with the safety or security of our electoral process.”
The New Jersey Division of Elections along with the Office of the Attorney General and the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell, is coordinating with federal, state, and local partners to assist county election officials respond and further investigate.
The threats arrived as voters set out to decide who will lead the Garden State, which has showed signs of turning red after being consistently blue in recent years. The high-profile New Jersey governor’s race is between Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a former state legislator endorsed by President Trump, and Mikie Sherrill, a former U.S. Navy officer and helicopter pilot. A Democrat in her fourth term in Congress, Sherill would become the state’s second female governor if elected.
If Ciattarelli wins, he will be New Jersey’s first Republican governor since 2018.
