Polling locations in seven New Jersey counties were targeted by bomb threats on Tuesday morning. Some sites have since been cleared to reopen, while others remain closed, with voters redirected to alternate venues.
The threats were made via email to polling locations across Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic counties.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin released a statement that read:
Voters should continue to have confidence that they can cast their ballot without fear of intimidation, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure a free, fair, and secure election. Make no mistake: We will not tolerate any attempts to interfere with our elections, and we will swiftly hold accountable anyone who seeks to interfere with the safety or security of our electoral process.
Officials noted that the threats made against the polling sites were not credible.
Credible or not, these threats interfere with the voting process. Given that Republicans typically vote in greater numbers on Election Day and Democrats lean toward early or mail-in ballots, any polling-place disruption tends to work to Democrats’ advantage.
The New York Post reported that nearly 300,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans have cast early ballots in New Jersey meaning that Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli must make up that deficit on Election Day or he will lose to his Democratic opponent Mikie Sherrill.
The Post is careful to note that this does not necessarily mean that Sherrill began the day with 300,000 more votes than Ciattarelli. We don’t know if all the Democrats who voted early cast a ballot for Sherrill. But it is still concerning.
Some Republicans believe the bomb threats could be an attempt by Democratic operatives to suppress Election Day turnout. While no evidence has yet surfaced to support the claim, many on the right argue the party’s record on integrity invites suspicion.
In particular, we recall the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial race between then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who ultimately won, and Republican candidate Kari Lake. Prior to the election, Lake called upon Hobbs repeatedly to recuse herself from overseeing the state’s election, which Hobbs refused to do.
On Election Day, numerous voting machines malfunctioned in the state’s most populous county. Although a subsequent investigation attributed the issues to “equipment failure,” many Republicans question the legitimacy of the results to this day.
Ciattarelli previously ran against current New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021. On the eve of that election, the RealClearPolitics polling average showed Murphy leading by 7.8 points, but he ultimately won by a much narrower margin of 2.8 points.
In the current race, the final RealClearPolitics average places Sherrill ahead of Ciattarelli by 3.3 points. An Atlas Intel poll released Friday shows an even tighter contest, with Sherrill leading by just one point.
Given that Murphy has done such a poor job as governor, it’s possible voters are ready for a change.
In 2020, former President Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump in New Jersey by 16 points, which is not surprising in a blue state.
However, in 2024, former Vice President Kamala Harris beat Trump by just 6 points.
Ciattarelli just might be able to pull out a win.
New Jersey polls close at 8 p.m. tonight. Stay tuned.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY