Bomb threats that officials described as hoaxes were emailed on Tuesday morning to cities across New Jersey, disrupting voting and resulting in the brief closure or relocation of polling sites in some locations.
The threats, which officials said were similar, appeared to go to towns throughout much of New Jersey, according to the state’s attorney general, Matthew Platkin. In a statement, Mr. Platkin said that officials had reported receiving threats in at least seven of New Jersey’s 21 counties, including Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Passaic.
“Law enforcement officers have responded at each affected polling place, and they have worked swiftly to secure these polling locations and ensure the safety of every voter,” Mr. Platkin said.
“Some of these polling locations have already reopened to the public. At others, voters will be directed to a nearby polling location to cast their ballot.”
Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, who also serves as New Jersey’s chief election official, said law enforcement officers had determined that there were no credible threats.
The bomb threats were a reminder of Election Day in 2024, when seven states — Georgia, Maine, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio — reported receiving bomb threats during the presidential election.
In Georgia in 2024, most of the threats focused on two of the most populous counties with large minority populations. Those threats turned out to be hoaxes and created only mild disruptions to the voting process.
On Tuesday, Mayor André Sayegh of Paterson, N.J., the state’s third-largest city, said that officials had received an email that included a bomb threat identifying two schools, both of which had polling locations. The sites were searched and voting was briefly interrupted as city officials set up new polling locations nearby.
“It’s an inconvenience,” Mr. Sayegh said. “Whoever is doing this is trying to disrupt this election. They’re trying to create a little chaos.”
Paterson is in Passaic County, where the Trump administration sent election monitors “to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law,” according to the Justice Department. The monitors were sent after Republican Party officials requested them, but Democrats have condemned the move, calling it an attempt to intimidate voters.
New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states that elect governors in the year after a presidential race. The races are often seen as a check on a president’s first year in office.
President Trump has weighed in heavily on both contests, where early returns were giving Democrats cautious optimism.
Mayor Hector Lora of Passaic said that the threats sent to his city and several others — including Paterson, Newark, Hackensack and Lodi — appeared to come from the same email account. In Passaic, he said, the sender mentioned an elementary school that was also a voting site.
Law enforcement officials searched the location, and students returned to the school and voting resumed by 8 a.m., he said. But while the threats seemed to have been fake, the disruption they caused was not, he added.
“Any delay in the voting process could discourage people from coming back,” Mr. Lora said.
Nick Corasaniti contributed reporting.
Tracey Tully is a reporter for The Times who covers New Jersey, where she has lived for more than 20 years.
Jonathan Wolfe is a Times reporter based in London, covering breaking news.
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