Minnesota election offices receive emailed bomb threat

(FOX 9) - State officials say a number of election offices in Minnesota have received email bomb threats since last Friday.

What to know

The Minnesota Secretary of State says, as of Tuesday, they've been notified that election offices in more than half of the counties in Minnesota have been sent emailed bomb threats.

The first threats were reported on Friday, Nov. 8, the Secretary of State said. The counties involved are responding per local protocol.

The threats come as counties work to certify election results.

Context

While these threats came after Election Day, threats were made at numerous polling locations in swing states. The FBI linked these threats to Russian email domains.

It's unclear if the Minnesota threats were also linked to a Russian operation.

What are they saying?

In a statement, Secretary of State Steve Simon said:

"Threats of violence against election workers, aimed at disrupting our democracy, are absolutely unacceptable. Although Election Day is over, election officials across the state are continuing their work to verify that the election was free, fair, accurate, and secure. Over the next few weeks, counties will be canvassing the election, certifying election results, and conducting post-election reviews. 

"Our office is coordinating with local, state, and federal partners to respond and ensure that our election officials can complete this important work and that those responsible for these threats are held accountable."