FBI probes suspicious letters mailed to US election offices before midterms

State election groups condemn threats to election workers

The FBI and US Postal Inspection Service are investigating letters containing an “unknown substance” mailed to state election offices in Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Ohio, weeks before the November US midterm elections. Election officers in Louisiana and Oklahoma received envelopes with a powdery substance that prompted building evacuations, while the US Postal Service intercepted a similar package addressed to the Ohio secretary of state.

Brendan Donahue, a senior official with the US Postal Inspection Service, confirmed the investigation at a Thursday press conference. “We are committed to protecting our nation’s election officials from threatening and dangerous mail,” Donahue said. “Any threat or attack on an election official is unacceptable.”

In a statement, the FBI said it was “investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State office and their related election officers” alongside the Postal Inspection Service. “Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident,” the FBI said. “We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters,” the FBI added. The bureau declined to comment on what the purported substance might be.

The US Senate sergeant at arms, who serves as chief law enforcement officer for the upper chamber, informed members of the Senate of the investigation in a Thursday message obtained by the Associated Press. The notice said law enforcement officials were working to intercept additional mail but that it was possible some could reach their destinations. Federal authorities urged recipients to treat the mail as “potentially hazardous.”

In Oklahoma, state troopers determined the substance mailed to the Oklahoma State Capitol complex was non-hazardous. The state’s finding was the only public determination of the substance’s nature disclosed as of Thursday.

Two organizations representing state election administrators — the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors — issued a joint statement Wednesday expressing alarm at the mailings. The groups said they were “deeply concerned by these incidents” and added that “threats against election officials and workers have no place in our democracy.” “Those who administer our elections should never fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties,” the organizations wrote.

Suspicious-powder mailings have recurred across recent US election cycles. During the 2024 election, at least 14 election offices nationwide received mail containing white powder; in some cases the substance turned out to be flour. In 2023, election offices in six states received similar envelopes, and in some of those cases the powder contained trace amounts of fentanyl, a powerful opioid.

The investigation is being conducted against a backdrop of heightened attention to the security of election administration in the run-up to the midterms. Federal authorities have not publicly identified any suspect or motive in the mailings.