WEST CHESTER — A bomb threat was emailed to the Chester County Government Services Center Tuesday evening, forcing the evacuation of the building, and a measure to allow the two voting precincts that vote there to vote elsewhere.
“The reporting of Chester County Election results was not impacted by this incident,” according to a press release issued by the Chester County District Attorney’s office. “The processing of mail-in-ballots takes place at a different location and continued throughout the incident. All polling place results arriving at the Government Services Center, delivered by Judges of Elections, proceeded as planned at the Government Services Center.”
“Chester County Emergency Officials responded immediately to the bomb threat based on pre-established plans and procedures, with a priority for the safety of the citizens and county employees located in the building. The building was evacuated, and the Chester County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit conducted a sweep for any sign of bombs. Following these actions, and no sign of any bomb, the building was reopened. The threat itself is currently being investigated by local and federal law enforcement.”
Chester County District Attorney Chris de Barrena-Sarobe . (MediaNews Group file Photo)
“I’m happy to say that the building is safe, that the threat appears to be dubious, and we are functioning just like we planned,” Chester County District Attorney Chris de Barrena-Sarobe said during a Tuesday night press conference.
Further, “a Chester County court order allowed those who vote at the two polling locations within the Government Services Center to vote at neighboring polling places. Voters who were supposed to cast ballots at Precincts 280 (West Goshen S-2) and Precinct 286 (West Goshen S-4) were redirected to Precinct 275 (West Goshen S-1) located at West Chester 7th Day Adventist Church or Precinct 285 (West Goshen S-3) located at Glen Acres Elementary School. Voting hours were extended to 10 p.m. specifically for these voters,” according to the district attorney’s office.
Similar bomb threats were also made in Clearfield County, Pa., and other locations across the state as well as to vote-counting centers in Georgia, according to news reports. Both Pennsylvania and Georgia are considered “swing states” in the presidential elections. An FBI spokesperson told NBC 10 that many of the threats appear to have originated from Russian email domains and none of the threats appear to be credible.
