Several Maryland boards of elections received bomb threats Friday, prompting evacuations, according to Baltimore County Police and election officials.
At 7:39 p.m. Friday, State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis posted on the social media platform X saying he doesn’t tolerate threats made against election officials.
Again, I have ZERO tolerance for threats against our elections officials. This madness must stop. We are working with law enforcement and federal partners on these latest incidents. NOTHING will deter us from our mission. It is unacceptable
— Jared DeMarinis (@JaredDeMarinis) November 9, 2024
At 9 p.m., DeMarinis posted that buildings were evacuated due to bomb threats made to local boards of elections and that everyone was safe. He later posted that canvassing of ballots would resume Saturday while safety is his top priority.
“Cowardly threats whether from abroad or not shall not deter us. You have failed. Our democracy is strong, our staff is strong, our mission will be accomplished. Every vote counts, count every vote,” DeMarinis said in a post.
According to Baltimore County Police, a call for service was made around 8 p.m. after the county’s board of elections received a threat via email. The police department posted on X around 10:33 p.m. that it was investigating the threat. Just before midnight, the department posted that the threat was determined to be unfounded and there was no danger to the community.
Police said several other jurisdictions also received emails around the same time and all locations were searched and found to be safe. The investigation of the incident is ongoing.
In Baltimore City, Election Director Armstead Jones said he wasn’t aware of any threats received.
Gov. Wes Moore took to X late Friday night to share that his office was working with state and local officials regarding the threats, thanking first responders for their work.
“It is imperative that we continue to provide a safe space for those overseeing our election processes as we finish counting every ballot,” Moore said in a post. “Threats like this have no place in our state or in our democracy, and we will work to hold those involved accountable.”
This article will be updated.
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