This week, election offices in more than 20 states received suspicious packages, sparking an FBI investigation and causing evacuations and concern among staff members. The threatening envelopes arrived as election officials nationwide are gearing up for the upcoming election season, with deadlines approaching for sending out ballots to overseas and military voters.
States such as Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Wyoming reported receiving or intercepting suspicious envelopes. Officials in various states took precautionary measures upon noticing the suspicious packages.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger revealed that his office was alerted by the US Postal Service about a suspicious package en route. Similar incidents were reported in North Carolina, where staff members are now wearing gloves and isolating areas when handling mail suspected of contamination.
Other states like Kansas and New York evacuated their offices upon discovering the suspicious letters. Fortunately, initial testing in Oklahoma revealed that the substance in the envelopes was harmless, identified as wheat cereal or flour.
The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are actively investigating the series of suspicious mailings sent to election officials. The envelopes, some of which claimed to be from a group called the “United States Traitor Elimination Army,” are being closely examined to determine the motive behind the letters and identify the sender.
This incident marks the second wave of suspicious envelopes targeting election offices in the past year. Despite the attempt to disrupt election processes, officials are maintaining vigilance and enhancing safety measures to ensure the security of the electoral system.
