The FBI has launched an investigation after multiple election offices across more than 20 states received suspicious packages this week. The packages, which triggered evacuations and heightened security measures, have rattled staff as the country gears up for the upcoming elections. According to reports from CNN and the Associated Press, threatening envelopes were sent to or intercepted by election officials in 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.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger revealed that his office was alerted by the US Postal Service about a suspicious package en route, prompting heightened vigilance to intercept it. Karen Brinson Bell from the North Carolina State Board of Elections shared that their state was also targeted, leading to increased safety measures including staff wearing gloves while handling mail and isolating potentially contaminated areas in the office. These incidents have caused election officials to be on high alert and implement additional precautions to ensure the safety of their staff and the election process.

Officials in some states, such as Kansas and New York, evacuated their offices after discovering the suspicious envelopes. While initial tests in Oklahoma suggested that the substance in the packages was harmless wheat cereal or flour, the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating the contents of the packages and working with law enforcement partners to address each incident safely. The FBI stated that they are looking into the motive behind the letters and trying to determine who sent them, marking the second wave of such incidents in the past year after a similar event last November.