Law enforcement intercepted a letter containing white powder addressed to the Washington secretary of state’s elections division Thursday afternoon, according to a statement from the secretary of state’s office.
The office is working with the FBI and the United States Postal Inspection Service to keep Washington election workers informed.
“An attack on elections officials or candidates is an attack on our democracy,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said on social media.
Several Washington elections offices in 2023 received letters containing white powder and traces of fentanyl, which prompted evacuations and impacted vote counts. While election workers and law enforcement were not harmed, investigators did not determine a clear reason why these letters were sent.
The FBI and Postal Inspection Service are “investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices,” the FBI told The Associated Press.
