Emailed threats force brief shutdowns at NJ polling locations on Election Day

ISTANBUL

Several New Jersey polling locations were temporarily closed after threats were received early Tuesday in Election Day.

The threats that were received by email involved certain places in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic counties, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement.

“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,” he said.

Some of the locations have since reopened, while voters at others are being directed to alternate polling places, he noted.

Platkin praised law enforcement and election workers for acting quickly and said authorities are coordinating with federal and local law enforcement partners.

“Voters should continue to have confidence that they can cast their ballot without fear of intimidation,” he said, warning that the state “will not tolerate any attempts to interfere with our elections.”

Zohran Mamdani, the frontrunner mayoral candidate in neighboring New York City, called the threats “incredibly concerning.”

“I think that it is an illustration of the attacks we’re seeing in our democracy. Sometimes they’re blatant and explicit in the manner of these bomb threats,” Mamdani said after casting his ballot.

“We have to understand this as part of the general approach the Trump administration has taken to trying to intimidate voters with baseless allegations of voter fraud as a means of trying to repress the voice of Americans across this country,” he added.