Montgomery County Board of Elections, along with several other county boards throughout Maryland, were evacuated Friday after receiving an email threat.
According to Jared DeMarinis, Maryland’s Administrator of Elections, “several local boards of elections received bomb threats. Buildings are evacuated and everyone is safe.”
Montgomery County’s election board “received the same email,” Dr. Gilberto Zelaya, the board’s public information officer, wrote in an email to MCM.
“We did contact the authorities and evacuated our facilities in Gaithersburg until police gave clearance to re-enter,” he said.
The board was not canvassing at the time, but workers were preparing for Saturday morning’s ballot counting. They will continue recording mail in votes Saturday at the Montgomery College-Germantown Bioscience Education Center Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In a social media post, DeMarinis wrote, “Safety is our top concern- but we WILL resume canvassing tomorrow. 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.”
Currently several local boards of elections received bomb threats. Buildings are evacuated and everyone is safe.
— Jared DeMarinis (@JaredDeMarinis) November 9, 2024
