Election officials in at least five states received suspicious packages on Monday, according to state officials. Although there are no reports that the packages contained hazardous substances, the FBI and the U.S. Postal Service confirmed that they are investigating the incident, the Associated Press (AP) reported, according to UNN .
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Packages of powdery substances were sent to secretaries of state and election offices in Nebraska, Tennessee, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Iowa, AP reports.
In most cases, the substances had already been determined to be safe. In Oklahoma, officials determined that the material sent to the election office was flour. In Nebraska, the substance was tested and found to be non-hazardous.
Elsewhere, it was not yet clear whether testing of the substances had been completed. In Iowa, protocol called for the evacuation of the entire six-story building due to the presence of the substance. In Wyoming, employees working near the state capitol were sent home while a white substance sent to the secretary of state's office was tested.
Local reports in Kansas quoted Topeka Fire Department spokesman Alan Stahl as saying that two packages were found, one addressed to the secretary of state and the other to the attorney general, prompting a “precautionary evacuation” for further testing.
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This incident marks the second time in the last year that election officials have received suspicious packages. Last November, suspicious letters were sent to election offices and government buildings in at least six states. Some letters contained fentanyl, while others were not toxic. However, the suspicious mail delayed the counting of votes in some local elections.
This latest incident comes less than two months before what is expected to be a tense election. Officials across the country have taken steps to strengthen the security of election buildings and increase worker protection following a wave of harassment faced by many election workers during and after the 2020 elections.
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