By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY and DAVID KLEPPER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The relatively uneventful presidential election was good news for those working to restore confidence in the system. Less encouraging was a wave of disinformation that sought to undermine confidence in the vote and sow chaos, which experts say is likely to worsen in the coming years.

The most important test for officials on election day was a series of bomb threats reported in five battleground states, some of which forced the temporary evacuation of polling stations. The day unfolded unlike most election days, with only routine issues, and former President Donald Trump’s commanding leadership allowed the presidential race to be called early Wednesday morning.

“Big turnout and big margins — that’s all we’re ever hoping for,” said Zach Manifold, Gwinnett County, Ga.’s supervisor of elections.

The over 84 million people who voted earlyeither in person or by mail, eased Tuesday’s situation and gave poll workers more flexibility to respond to unexpected issues.

“Yesterday and the election season were a great example of how early voting is so important to maintaining security and how it has actually minimized and mitigated some of the threats that we’ve seen,” David Becker, former attorney for the Department of US Attorney, who directs the Center. for innovation and election research, he said the day after Election Day.

When the bomb threats came — starting early in the Atlanta area and then spreading to Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — election officials were prepared. They had spent most of the year meeting with local law enforcementtraining through various scenarios and updating their emergency plans.

“We’ve seen professionals across the country say, ‘OK, here’s what we’re going to do,'” said Carolina Lopez, a former local election official who heads the Partnership for Large Electoral Jurisdictions.

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

Interference from Russia and other foreign adversaries has been a constant theme throughout the election season.

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

Russia was particularly bold, creating and spreading edited videos which was intended to insult Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Kremlin efforts this year have also involved paying a media company in Tennessee $10 million to produce pro-Russian content.

“Russia clearly interfered in this election,” said Brian Taylor, a political science professor and Russia expert at Syracuse University. He said Russia’s goals were “to help Trump and sow chaos in general — although there is no evidence that their activities changed the outcome.”