New Jersey bomb threats and Trump’s warnings to California mark final day of voting

Bomb threats at New Jersey polls, a voter roll mishap in Pennsylvania that could affect thousands of voters, and President Donald Trump’s warnings against California’s mail-in ballot system marked the final day of voting in an off-year election with several nationally high-profile races.

Voting otherwise appeared to be going smoothly on Tuesday across the United States, as voters cast ballots in the first significant election since Trump won the White House for a second time.

They were deciding gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, the mayor’s race in New York, Supreme Court elections in Pennsylvania, and voting procedures and gun control in Maine. California’s redistricting initiative, which came in response to Trump’s efforts to redraw congressional lines in GOP-controlled states before next year’s midterm elections, was of particular interest to the Republican president.

The Justice Department sent election observers to five counties in California, a state Trump lost three times and where his use of mail-in ballots has often been criticized despite no evidence of any widespread fraud or other voting-related problems. In a post on Tuesday on his social media platform, the president described the state’s voting process as “rigged” and warned that it was “subject to a very serious legal and criminal review. Stay tuned!”

Allegations of election fraud are almost routine for Trump in the period leading up to the elections and sometimes on voting day itself. On Election Day last year, before his victory was declared, he claimed, without providing any details or evidence, that there was “talk of widespread fraud in Philadelphia,” and said law enforcement was on the way. He continues to lie about his loss in the 2020 presidential election.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has been championing the redistricting initiative, responded to Trump with his own social media post, calling the president “a completely unserious person spreading false information in a desperate attempt to address his own failures.”

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Secretary of State Shirley Weber moved to reassure Californians who have not yet voted that they will not be deterred.

“This appears to be another baseless allegation,” she said in a statement. “The bottom line is that the courts have certified California’s elections. California voters will not be fooled by someone who continually makes desperate, unsubstantiated attempts to dissuade Americans from participating in our democracy.”

In New Jersey, law enforcement and election officials moved quickly as voting began to secure polling places after a series of unfounded bomb threats.

Lt. Gov. Tahisha Way, who also serves as the state’s chief elections official, said the threats were emailed to seven counties, including Passaic County, a key swing county. It is also the only county outside of California where the Justice Department sent election observers, in both cases at the request of each state’s Republican parties.

“Law enforcement has determined that there are no credible threats at this time,” Way said. “We are doing everything we can to protect voters and poll workers and coordinating closely with state, local and federal partners to ensure a smooth and safe election.”

The threats came as the final day of voting began in the closely watched gubernatorial race, and a year after a series of bomb threats disrupted voting during last year’s presidential election, mostly in contested states. Bomb threat hoaxes also spread in Springfield, Ohio, last year after Donald Trump during the election campaign amplified false claims that Haitian immigrants there were kidnapping their pets and eating them.

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement that the threats on Tuesday included polling places in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Passaic counties. He added that some polling stations have already reopened to the public, while elsewhere voters have been directed to nearby polling sites to cast their ballots.

“Law enforcement officers responded at every affected polling place, working quickly to secure these polling sites and ensure the safety of every voter,” Platkin said.

The FBI’s Newark office said it is aware of the reports and is assisting state and local agencies. “This Department of Justice is committed to conducting free, fair, and secure elections,” U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi said in a social media post related to the bomb threat investigation.

Passaic County received three threats and redirected some affected voters to other locations early Tuesday, county spokeswoman Lindsay Reed said in an email. One location, the school building, was evacuated and voting resumed.

In Pennsylvania, county officials said nearly 20% of voters in Chester County were excluded from ballot books originally submitted to polling sites on Tuesday. This included voters registered as anything other than Republicans or Democrats, including those registered with the Green or Libertarian parties or independents with no party affiliation. This category includes about 75,000 registered voters out of about 385,000 countywide.

Elections officials in the Democratic-leaning county located about 60 miles (96.56 kilometers) west of Philadelphia became aware of the problem just after polls opened and were “actively deploying” additional poll books at 230 polling sites, said Rebecca Breen, a county spokeswoman. There will be a formal review.

A majority of Chester County voters supported Democrat Kamala Harris over Republican Donald Trump in last year’s presidential election. Voters on Tuesday were weighing in on local offices, as well as on members of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Three Democratic justices on the state Supreme Court were running in nonpartisan elections, in which voters give a “yes” or “no” on whether they will serve another term.

Independent and third-party voters who came to cast ballots before supplemental ballot books arrived were offered a provisional ballot. Provisional ballot statuses are considered by county review boards within seven days of Election Day.

Smith reported from Columbus, Ohio, and Wennerhout from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press writers Cathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, and Sarah Broomfield in Washington contributed to this report.