Elections offices in four Washington counties were evacuated Wednesday after an unknown white powder, some including traces of fentanyl, was found in envelopes.
No one has been harmed, but employees had to get out of the buildings while emergency and law enforcement agencies investigated.
The incident, seemingly intended to threaten the election process, strikes fear after a series of items containing suspicious powders were sent to multiple Seattle synagogues last week.
Here's what we know so far.
Which elections offices were impacted?
Election offices in King, Pierce, Skagit and Spokane counties were evacuated.
The envelopes halted or slowed ballot counting in major local elections for which ballots were due Tuesday night. In Tacoma, votes are deciding the fate of a measure to adopt renter protections; in Spokane, a mayoral race is too close to call; and in King County, several city and county races are neck and neck.
What did they receive?
The offices in Spokane and King counties received envelopes with traces of fentanyl. No employees were harmed by the substance. Fentanyl cannot cause overdoses from contact.
In King County, Detective Robert Onishi with the Renton Police Department said a "presumptive" field test determined it had fentanyl, but lab testing is required to determine how much. No staffers appeared to become ill, said King County Elections spokesperson Halei Watkins, but hazmat crews and law enforcement cleared the office.
The investigation in King County was turned over to the FBI.
At the Pierce County Elections Office, an elections worker found an envelope that dispersed a white powdery substance. It was later found to be baking soda.
A message inside the envelope said "something to the effect of stopping the election," said William Muse, a Tacoma police spokesperson. "There was no candidate that was identified," Muse said. "There was no political issue identified. It was just that vague statement."
The explosives disposal unit and the Spokane Fire Department hazmat team responded to and evacuated the Spokane County Elections office after, again, a piece of mail with powder was opened around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. The employee who opened it was not harmed.
How did this impact the vote count?
King County resumed counting after the office was deemed safe, and posted the results of a smaller batch of votes by 4 p.m. In the first updated vote count since initial returns, King County Elections posted just 20,000 new ballots. Each undecided race inched closer to final results, but barely changed.
No votes were posted in Spokane County on Wednesday, said Patrick Bell, county communications director, and election workers there were sent home.
Skagit County also didn't update results. Officials said Thursday that counting had resumed, but have not confirmed when updated vote counts would be shared.
What we know about a motive
Not a lot. The FBI declined to answer specific questions about the incidents and whether they were connected.
There was no indication of similar events taking place at other election offices in other parts of the United States.
According to the Washington Secretary of State's Office, the incidents illustrate how serious threats are to the election process.
"The safety of staff and observers is paramount as elections workers across the state open envelopes and count each voter's ballot," Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said in a news release. "These incidents underscore the critical need for stronger protections for all election workers. Democracy rests upon free and fair elections. These incidents are acts of terrorism to threaten our elections."
Wednesday's incident also comes on the heels of a series of items containing suspicious powders being sent to multiple Seattle synagogues last week, causing a similar concern in the local Jewish community.
The appearance of these suspicious letters over the past week is an unnerving reminder of letters laced with anthrax and ricin, which can be deadly when inhaled, sent through the U.S. mail in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Those letters killed five people and sickened 17 others. The FBI closed its investigation into the anthrax attacks in 2010, after years of false leads, no arrests and public criticism.
