2024 US Presidential Elections: Russian Email Hoaxes Target US Polls With Fake Bomb Threats Sparking Panic

The FBI reported Tuesday that several polling locations across multiple states received fake bomb threats, many traced back to Russian email domains. While none of the threats were deemed credible, the incidents caused brief evacuations, including at two polling sites in Georgia’s Fulton County. These locations were temporarily closed for around 30 minutes before reopening, and Fulton County officials are now seeking a court order to extend voting hours beyond the statewide deadline of 7 p.m.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger attributed the threats to Russian interference, saying, “They don’t want us to have a smooth, fair and accurate election, and if they can get us to fight among ourselves, they can count that as a victory.” An anonymous senior official in Raffensperger’s office noted that the email addresses involved in the threats had previously been used in alleged Russian election interference efforts, targeting both US media outlets and polling sites.

The fake bomb threats add to a series of suspected Russian attempts to influence the 2024 election. On November 1, US intelligence officials reported that Russian actors had created misleading videos, including one falsely showing Haitians casting illegal ballots in Georgia and another falsely accusing someone associated with the Harris campaign of accepting a bribe.

The tight presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump remains too close to call. US intelligence agencies have previously accused Russia of interfering in the 2016 and 2020 elections, favoring Trump, and believe that similar influence campaigns are likely to continue after Election Day.