“Suspicious packages were sent to election commission officials in at least five US states Election commission officials in five US states received suspicious packages with powdery substances. The FBI and US Postal Service are investigating the incident, and most of the substances have been deemed safe.”, — write on: unn.ua
Details
Packages of the powdery substance were sent to secretaries of state and election offices in Nebraska, Tennessee, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Iowa, the AP reported.
In most cases, the substances have already been recognized as safe. In Oklahoma, officials determined that the material sent to the elections 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 required the evacuation of an entire six-story building due to the presence of the substance. In Wyoming, workers near the state capitol were sent home while the white substance sent to the secretary of state’s office was tested.
Local reports in Kansas quoted Alan Stahl, a spokesman for the Topeka Fire Department, as saying two packages were discovered, one addressed to the secretary of state and the other to the attorney general, prompting a “precautionary evacuation” for further testing.
Addition
This incident is the second in the last year when suspicious packages have been sent to election commission officials. Last November, suspicious letters were sent to election offices and government buildings in at least six states. Some of the letters contained fentanyl, while others were not toxic. However, 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 increase security at election buildings and strengthen worker protections following a wave of harassment that many election workers faced during and after the 2020 election.
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