A relatively trouble-free presidential election was good news for those working to restore faith in the system. Less encouraging was a flood of misinformation that sought to undermine trust in voting and sow chaos, something experts say is likely to get worse in the years ahead.

The most significant test for officials on Election Day was a series of bomb threats reported in five battleground states, some of which forced polling places to be evacuated temporarily. The day otherwise played out like most other election days, with only routine problems, and former President Donald Trump91裸聊视频檚 commanding lead allowed the presidential race to be called early Wednesday morning.

91裸聊视频淗igh turnout and wide margins 91裸聊视频� that91裸聊视频檚 all we ever hope for,91裸聊视频� said Zach Manifold, the elections supervisor in Gwinnett County, Georgia.

The more than 84 million people who voted early, either in person or by mail, eased the crush on Tuesday and provided election workers with more flexibility to respond to unexpected problems.

91裸聊视频淵esterday and the election season was a wonderful example of how early voting is so important to maintain security, and how it actually minimized and mitigated some of the threats that we saw,91裸聊视频� David Becker, a former U.S. Justice Department attorney who leads the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said the day after Election Day.

When the bomb threats came in 91裸聊视频� starting early in the day in the Atlanta area and then spreading to Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin 91裸聊视频� election officials were prepared. They had spent the better part of the year meeting with local law enforcement, training through various scenarios and updating their emergency plans.

91裸聊视频淚 saw professionals all across the country saying, 91裸聊视频極K, here91裸聊视频檚 what we91裸聊视频檙e going to do,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� said Carolina Lopez, a former local election official who leads the Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions.

The FBI said the threats appeared to originate from Russian email domains, though federal cybersecurity officials cautioned the culprits were not necessarily Russian.

Interference from Russia and other foreign adversaries was a constant theme running through election season.

Russia, Iran and China steadily increased their use of English-language disinformation in the months leading up to Election Day, Their motives varied, but their tactics were similar: using networks of bogus social media accounts and websites to spread content designed to erode confidence in election security and American democracy.

Russia was particularly audacious, creating and spreading staged videos that aimed to smear Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The Kremlin91裸聊视频檚 efforts this year also involved paying a Tennessee media company $10 million to produce pro-Russian content.

91裸聊视频淩ussia clearly interfered in this election,91裸聊视频� said Brian Taylor, a political science professor and Russia expert at Syracuse University. He said Russia91裸聊视频檚 objectives were to 91裸聊视频渉elp Trump and to sow chaos more generally 91裸聊视频� although there is no evidence that their activities changed the outcome.91裸聊视频�

Experts say America91裸聊视频檚 adversaries are playing a long game, using disinformation to undermine Americans91裸聊视频� confidence in their own country and gradually diminish U.S. power. Russia, in particular, preferred Trump as a candidate because he is seen as less likely to support assistance for Ukraine, said Emerson Brooking, resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council91裸聊视频檚 Digital Forensic Research Lab, which tracks foreign disinformation.

91裸聊视频淣one of this goes away after Election Day,91裸聊视频� Brooking said. 91裸聊视频淲hat are Russia91裸聊视频檚 goals? It wasn91裸聊视频檛 to elect President Trump, but to steer the United States in a particular direction. Trump91裸聊视频檚 election is one step in that process.91裸聊视频�

Russia, Iran and China have rejected allegations they sought to meddle with the U.S. election.

Steve Simon, president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, praised the quick work done by federal agencies to call out the disinformation. He said federal officials had within a day identified Russia as being behind a viral video purporting to show voter fraud in Georgia.

91裸聊视频淭he nature of their response and the timeliness of their response really helped confront and limit the influence of those messages,91裸聊视频� said Simon, who serves as Minnesota91裸聊视频檚 top state election official.

Kim Wyman, a former official with the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said the agency had proven its value this year given the meddling by other countries.

91裸聊视频淲hat was certainly demonstrated in this election is that foreign adversaries have not stopped trying to have an impact in U.S. elections, and we anticipate that will continue in the future,91裸聊视频� said Wyman, who also served as Washington91裸聊视频檚 secretary of state.

She said she91裸聊视频檇 like the Republican-controlled Congress to continue supporting CISA and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, which works with states to improve election operations and certifies voting systems.

Voting rights groups said they hoped an election with no major problems would temper talk about making widespread changes to voting procedures. During the campaign, Trump and his allies had spoken of a desire for a single day of voting, pushing false claims of widespread voter fraud with mail ballots. It91裸聊视频檚 not clear whether that talk will continue, given that Republicans flocked to early voting this year after Trump encouraged it.

The president-elect has been spreading election lies for years related to his re-election loss in 2020. He repeatedly questioned voting procedures and accused Democrats of cheating before and during Election Day, but stopped making those claims once he took the lead.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 hopeful that we91裸聊视频檒l keep the things in place that work for the vast majorities of voters,91裸聊视频� said Jay Young, senior director of voting and democracy with Common Cause.

Young said he would be concerned about any effort to restrict voting based on false claims, such as the one peddled by Republicans this year that large numbers of noncitizens were voting. Republicans in Congress have been pushing legislation on the issue.

91裸聊视频淭here is a lot of noise out there that is not based in fact,91裸聊视频� Young said. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 my job, frankly, to make sure my organization and the groups that we are part of, that we can91裸聊视频檛 let someone try to seize on a moment in time to achieve a political end.91裸聊视频�

Associated Press writer Ali Swenson contributed to this report.

Christina A. Cassidy And David Klepper, The Associated Press