January 3, 2024
Washington, D.C. – This morning, several state capitols and Secretary of States’ offices, including Georgia, Michigan, Connecticut, Kentucky, and other states, received credible bomb threats via a mass email and evacuated their capitol buildings. While the premises of each building were cleared quickly, and no one was injured, threats of political violence are increasing at an alarming rate. Just last week, Maine’s Secretary of State was the victim of a swatting attack just a day after barring former President Donald Trump from the state’s ballot.
“We are just three days into an election year, and state government offices, including Secretary of State offices and state capitols across the country, including Georgia and Michigan, have already been forced to evacuate following credible bomb threats. The motive and targets of today’s attacks are still unclear, but what is clear is that we need to put an end to political violence in this country,” said Hannah Fried, Executive Director of All Voting is Local. “Our nation’s election officials have been facing a broader range of threats in recent months and leaving their jobs as a result. As we enter a presidential election year, we need to ensure that officials can focus on doing their job of ensuring that our elections run properly and not be disrupted by a barrage of threats, harassment, or intimidation. ”