Riverside County Registrar’s office among those receiving bomb threats; no explosives found

The Riverside County Registrar of Voters received a bomb threat on Friday, Nov. 8, officials said. The office was evacuated and the threat was similar to several others reported around Southern California and the nation. No bombs were found.

In Riverside County, the sheriff’s department was immediately notified, and the at the Riverside Central Counting Building was evacuated in less than 5 minutes, the Registrar said. Deputies and the bomb squad arrived on scene around 6:45 p.m. to conduct the search, the department said.

The Registrar was still in the process of counting votes from Election Day, Nov. 5. The building was closed for the remainder of the day, and ballot processing did not resume until Saturday, Nov. 9.

“The County of Riverside Registrar of Voters remains committed to the safety of the public and our staff,” the post read. “We continue to prioritize transparency and encourage the public to observe all processes as we ensure a fair, accurate, and transparent election.”

It was not immediately known how or when the threat was made.

Orange County’s elections office in Santa Ana also received a bomb threat Friday, where ballots were being counted, as well. Staff and members of the public who were present were safely evacuated at about 6:45 p.m.

One of the registrar’s general email accounts received the threat, Registrar of Voters Bob Page said. There were multiple Orange County sheriff’s deputies at the office at the time, and they were called into Page’s office to review the threat and come up with a plan of action.

On Saturday, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office received a bomb threat targeting its headquarters in Norwalk. Sweeps conducted at the Norwalk office and Ballot Processing Center did not reveal any explosives.

It’s currently unknown who was responsible for any of the threats in the three counties.

San Diego and Santa Clara and several areas in five battleground states received threats as well, multiple news outlets reported. None of the threats proved to be credible.

City News Service contributed to this article.