White Powder Letters Target Election Offices in at Least 31 States Ahead of Midterm Elections

At 12:20 p.m. last Tuesday, an employee at the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office opened a mailed letter and found white powder spilling out. The office was immediately evacuated, and the employee was taken to the emergency room. No employees were injured, and subsequent testing determined that the material was not hazardous. The office reopened by Wednesday.

Election Offices Evacuated After Suspicious Letters Arrived

“Tuesday’s events did not impact election operations for the upcoming election,” Trey Williams, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Secretary of State, told WIRED.

However, the Louisiana incident was not isolated. In the days that followed, a WIRED investigation found that similar letters had targeted election offices in at least 31 other states as they prepared for the midterm elections, which were just two weeks away. Although many states had issued public statements acknowledging receipt of the letters, WIRED’s reporting was the first to reveal the full scale of the campaign.

State officials told WIRED that the U.S. Postal Service intercepted most of the letters before they reached their intended targets. In Arizona, Delaware, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Louisiana, however, no letters were intercepted, and election offices were evacuated after white powder was discovered.

States That Confirmed Receipt of the Letters

The states that confirmed receiving the letters were Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Election officials in 10 states—Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and West Virginia—and Washington, D.C., told WIRED they had not received any suspicious packages. The remaining eight state election offices did not respond.

The white powder found in the letters opened so far was reportedly not harmful, but election offices remained on high alert.

Election Officials Condemn Threats

“We are deeply concerned by these incidents,” the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Officials said in a joint statement. “As each of us has said in the past, threats against election officials and employees have no place in our democracy. Those administering our elections should never fear for their safety as they carry out their important duties.”

Federal Officials Warned States About Suspicious Packages

When news of the letters being sent broke last week, federal officials warned election offices in some states that they might receive dangerous packages. The FBI was notified.

Alaska state officials announced Friday that the envelopes were expected to arrive the following day. Around 9 a.m. Saturday, the U.S. Postal Service identified a suspicious package, the Juneau Independent reported.