DES MOINES, IA –The Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, are investigating suspicious packages that were delivered to election officials in several states, according to officials.
The letters received by officials contained “an unknown substance,” according to Kristen Setera, spokeswoman for the FBI.
Iowa and Nebraska were among the states that received a package. A package intended for the Colorado secretary of state’s office included a return address of “U.S. Traitor Elimination Army.”
A spokeswoman for Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate declined to say whether the package that forced the evacuation of staff also included the same return address as Colorado’s.
Some states have reported that packages included a white powdery substance. There have been no reports of illness or injury from exposure.
It’s the second time in the past year that suspicious packages were mailed to election officials in multiple states.
The latest scare comes as early voting has begun in several states (including South Dakota) ahead of the high-stakes elections for president, Senate, Congress and key statehouse offices, causing disruption in an already tense voting season. Local election directors are ramping up security to keep workers and polling places safe while also ensuring that ballots and voting procedures won’t be tampered with.
RELATED: SOUTH DAKOTA BOARD OF ELECTIONS VOTES AGAINST HAND-COUNTING BALLOTS
The National Association of Secretaries of State condemned what it described as a “disturbing trend” of threats to election workers leading up to Nov. 5.
Election offices across the United States have taken steps to increase security amid an onslaught of harassment and threats following the 2020 election and the false claims that it was rigged.
These are other states reporting suspicious packages:
Alaska, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Washington, and Wyoming.
