2 Georgia polls evacuated after several ‘non-credible’ bomb threats, officials say

ATLANTA (WANF/Gray News) - Two polling locations in Georgia were temporarily evacuated after they received false bomb threats, according to officials.

The threats, which were deemed to be non-credible, targeted five polls in Fulton County.

The Etris-Darnell Community Center and C.H. Gullatt Elementary School were evacuated for about 30 minutes but are open to voters again.

The county is seeking a court order to extend the two Union City polling locations’ hours past the statewide 7 p.m. deadline to compensate for the disruption, according to Fulton County Director of Registration and Elections Nadine Williams.

It was also reported that there would be bomb threats to certain South Fulton schools on Election Day at around 8:15 a.m., according to the school system’s police department.

No threats surfaced, but police swept the campuses to ensure their safety.

Due to the election, Tuesday is a teacher planning day, and all students are at home.

Fulton County Police Chief W. Wade Yates said 32 of the county’s 177 polling places were subject to bomb threats.

Fulton wasn’t the only county targeted by threats. In Gwinnett County, police evacuated and searched the Mountain Park Aquatic Center & Activity Building precinct after a bomb threat, finding nothing. Election supervisor Zach Manifold said he would file for an extension to keep the polling place open until 8 p.m.

In a news conference on Tuesday morning, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger said officials believe the bomb threats are tied to Russia.

“They’re up to mischief, it seems. 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,” he said. “That tells you a little bit about the Russians. They’re not our friends. Anyone that thinks they are hasn’t been reading the newspapers.”

In a statement, FBI Atlanta said the threats came from Russian email domains. None of them have been credible so far, according to the bureau.