NEW ULM — Election offices in more than half of the counties in Minnesota received e-mailed bomb threats since Nov. 8, according to the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.

Nicollet County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Aaron Peterson and Redwood County Auditor-Treasurer Jean Price said their counties received e-mailed bomb threats Friday and Saturday.

“We treated it as a threat. We searched the courthouse Saturday morning and did not find a threat. Nobody was ever in any type of danger after the email was received Saturday,” said Peterson.

Price said her office received the e-mail threat Friday night and she reported it to the Redwood County Sheriff’s Office.

Brown, Sibley and Renville County officials were contacted about the the e-mail bomb threats. All three counties said they did not receive them.

The threats were reported to the Minnesota Secretary of State Office by county, state, and federal partners. Affected counties responded in accordance with local policies and procedures.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon issued the following statement Nov. 12:

“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 to 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.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a statement Nov. 5 to polling locations that included:

“As always, we urge the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to state or local law enforcement, or submit tips to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or online at tips.fbi.gov.