Officials in at least two states and the District of Columbia responded to threats of violence or suspicious behavior Tuesday as millions of Americans headed to the polls—though none of the incidents significantly disrupted the vote.
In DC, US Capitol Police arrested a man who “smelled like fuel” and attempted to enter the Capitol Visitor Center with a torch and flare gun. Officials did not immediately release more information about the man or his intentions. In Georgia, meanwhile, two polling locations outside Atlanta closed briefly after receiving what officials termed “non-credible” bomb threats. And Maine State Police reported a spate of “swatting” calls—false police reports designed to draw a large law enforcement response—that they said posed “no threat to the public.”
In a Tuesday statement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it was “aware of bomb threats to polling locations in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains.” Speaking to reporters early Tuesday afternoon, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger—himself the target of violent, election-related threats—also blamed Russia, though a spokesperson later clarified to the New York Times that the perpetrators could be spoofing Russian sources.
The incidents underscore the stakes and dangers of an already tense election. Ballot drop boxes were set on fire in Oregon and Washington last week, damaging hundreds of ballots. Fights broke out at early polling locations in South Carolina, Illinois, and Texas after voters became belligerent with election workers or judges.
Over the weekend, law enforcement agents also arrested a 24-year-old white supremacist who had allegedly plotted to blow up an electric substation in Nashville, an attack that would have left thousands without power on the eve of the election. That followed the October 23 arrest of Jeffrey Michael Kelly, an Arizona man who is alleged to have shot at Democratic Party offices and amassed an arsenal of weapons and ammunition for a larger attack.
Speaking in Florida today, former president Donald Trump downplayed the potential for election violence, saying his “supporters are not violent people.” Trump added that he didn’t have to tell them outright to refrain from violence: “I certainly don’t want any violence, but I certainly don’t have to tell them. These are great people.” In a late October poll commissioned by the American Psychological Association, 72% of American adults said they feared the election could lead to violence.
