Election officials sent suspicious packages in at least 5 states

Election officials in at least five states were sent suspicious packages Monday, according to officials from each state.

There were no reports that the packages contained hazardous material, and the FBI and U.S. Postal Service confirmed they are investigating the incident, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

The Hill has reached out to both agencies for comment.

Packages with powder-like substances were sent to secretaries of states and election offices in Nebraska, Tennessee, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Iowa, the AP said.

In most cases, the substances have already been deemed harmless. In Oklahoma, officials determined the material sent to the election office contained flour. In Nebraska, the substance was tested and found to be nonhazardous.

Elsewhere, it was not yet clear whether testing of the material had concluded. In Iowa, protocol required that the entire six-story state office building be evacuated because of the substance. In Wyoming, workers near the state Capitol were sent home as the white substance sent to the secretary of state’s office was undergoing testing.

Local reports in Kansas cited Topeka Fire Department spokesperson Alan Stahl saying two packages were found, one addressed to the secretary of state and another addressed to the attorney general, prompting a “precautionary evacuation” for further testing.

The incident marks the second time in the last year that election officials have been sent suspicious packages. Last November, suspicious letters were sent to election offices and government buildings in at least six states. Some letters contained fentanyl, and others were not toxic. Still, the suspicious mail delayed the counting of ballots in some local elections, the AP reported.

The latest incident comes less than two months ahead of what is expected to be a heated election. Officials have taken steps across the country to increase security of election buildings and to boost protections for workers, following the wave of harassment that many election workers faced during the 2020 election and its aftermath.

The Associated Press contributed.