Vote counting in the crucial swing state of Wisconsin was delayed “out of an abundance of caution” after it was discovered that ballots were not properly sealed.
The effort in Milwaukee to recount more than 30,000 votes, which drew the attention of Trump and the RNC, was expected to delay the count there.
The news came after a series of bomb threats across multiple battleground states and baseless claims of wrongdoing by former President Donald Trump disrupted an otherwise smooth Election Day that capped a tumultuous presidential campaign.
The bomb threats in parts of Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania on Tuesday turned out to be hoaxes, but they forced some polling places to evacuate and extend hours and delayed the counting of some ballots.
The threats were reported throughout the day at polling locations in three metro Atlanta counties, all with large numbers of Democratic voters, and into the evening at Pennsylvania polling places and election offices where ballots were being counted. Bomb threats also were reported at several voting locations in two Arizona counties, according to the secretary of state’s office.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in an evening news conference that the hoaxes posed no danger to the public — or to the election.
“Every legal, eligible vote will be counted and counted accurately, and the will of the people in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will be respected,” said Shapiro, a Democrat.
Neither Shapiro nor the Pennsylvania State Police gave details about who might be behind the hoaxes.
In Georgia’s Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, 32 of 177 polling places received bomb threats and five were briefly evacuated. The polling locations were able to reopen after the threats.
“That just shows you the resilience of our system and our people. We’re battle-tested,” said Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican.
