Registrar of voters offices in Orange and Riverside counties were evacuated Friday night after receiving bomb threats, but no explosives were found at either site, authorities said.
All Orange County Voter Registrar employees and general staff were evacuated from the Santa Ana office 15 minutes before the facility was scheduled to stop processing ballots, officials said in a statement. Orange County Sheriff’s Deputies were already on scene and coordinated the evacuation of the building, located in the 1300 block of South Grand Avenue.
A bomb-sniffing dog was used to search the entire building, but no explosives were found.
“The Orange County Registrar of Voters is committed to ensuring equal access to the election process, protecting the integrity of voting, and maintaining a transparent, accurate and fair election system.” Bob Page of the bureau said in a statement. “We are working diligently to address this incident and protect the safety of all staff and members of the public who visit our offices.”
On Friday night, the Riverside County Voter Registrar received a similar unsubstantiated threat at its Riverside office.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department was immediately alerted and members of the public and staff were evacuated from the scene at 2720 Gateway Drive within five minutes. Sheriff’s deputies and explosive ordnance squad members conducted a thorough search, but no explosives were found, the registrar said.
“The Riverside Voter Registrar remains committed to the safety of our residents and employees,” officials said in a statement. “We continue to prioritize transparency and encourage the public to observe all processes to ensure fair, accurate and transparent elections.”
On Election Day, fake bomb threats were made at dozens of polling places in swing states such as Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona, but none of them were believed to be credible.
