Bomb Scares Disrupt Election Processes in Maryland and California

Maryland and California faced bomb threats targeting election offices, leading to evacuations and security probes. Authorities deemed these threats cowardly and vowed to continue vote counting. The FBI reported similar hoaxes in other states, allegedly originating from Russian email domains. Officials remain vigilant against misinformation threats.

Several Maryland election offices and a county office in California received bomb threats on Friday, leading to evacuations while law enforcement conducted investigations. Election officials in Maryland were in the process of counting mail-in ballots when the threats emerged, prompting a temporary halt in operations.

State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis labeled the threats "cowardly" and assured the public that counting would resume by Saturday. DeMarinis emphasized the importance of safety and stated on social media that such intimidation tactics would not deter the election process.

In California, a bomb threat at Orange County's voter registrar office led to a similar evacuation, but no explosives were found. Meanwhile, FBI investigations revealed that several polling locations in battleground states received hoax bomb threats, suspected to originate from Russian domains. Officials continue to address misinformation threats related to the elections.

(With inputs from agencies.)