“Federal and state authorities are investigating the incident, but there has been no confirmation that these envelopes contained any toxic substances,” said Secretary of State Shirley Weber in a statement.
“Nevertheless, we are advising local election offices to take precautions before handling mail that arrives at their facilities,” she said.
Investigators are still trying to find where the envelopes originated and what was in them. Authorities are concerned the incidents are part of a trend of suspicious mail being sent to election offices in Georgia, Oregon, and Washington state that have contained fentanyl and other substances, according to Ms. Weber’s office.
In Washington, envelopes received by elections offices in four counties were found to contain an unknown powdery substance, the state’s Secretary of State Steve Hobbs reported Nov. 8. Elections workers evacuated their offices in all counties, and election leaders have taken precautions to keep staff and visitors safe, he said.
Local, state, and federal authorities are investigating the incidents, which occurred while workers were processing ballots from the Nov. 7 general election.
On Aug. 1, during Washington’s primary election, officials in King County received an envelope containing fentanyl, a deadly and powerful synthetic opioid.
“Some people like to call fentanyl a drug, but it’s actually poison,” said Mr. Raffensperger, who lost a son five years ago to a fentanyl overdose. “It will kill you very quickly. This is very serious.”
Authorities in Oregon also reported Nov. 9 finding suspicious letters in Lane County, according to the Associated Press.
The Oregon incident prompted county officials to close the elections office and delay an afternoon pickup of ballots, the news outlet reported.
