US: Suspicious packages sent to election officials in at least 6 states

Several suspicious packages and envelopes were sent to election officials in at least six states on September 16, but none contained hazardous materials.

The Oklahoma State Board of Elections office is among the election offices that received suspicious packages addressed to officials. Photo: AP

The FBI and the U.S. Postal Service are investigating multiple packages containing powder sent to the heads of state departments and election offices in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Tennessee, Wyoming and Oklahoma. This is the second time this year that suspicious packages have been sent to officials at multiple state election offices. Several states have reported finding white powder in envelopes addressed to election officials. In most cases, the powder has been determined to be harmless. Officials in Oklahoma said the material sent to the election office there was flour. Meanwhile, officials in Wyoming have not yet released information on whether the items were hazardous. In Iowa, the packages led to the evacuation of the Lucas State office building in Des Moines. In Kansas, a state office building in Topeka was evacuated after receiving a suspicious letter addressed to both the secretary of state and the state attorney general's office. In Oklahoma, the state Board of Elections also received a suspicious envelope containing several pages of documents and a white powder. Authorities tested the powder and determined it was wheat flour.

The incidents come as several states across the country have held early voting, less than two months before elections for president, Senate, Congress and other key state offices across the country. The incidents have caused disruptions in an already tense election season. Last November, suspicious letters were sent to election offices and government buildings in at least six different states. While some of the envelopes contained fentanyl, other suspicious letters that were deemed harmless have delayed the counting of ballots in some local elections.

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