Suspicious packages sent to election officials in at least 6 states
Suspicious packages were sent to election officials in at least six states on Monday, but there were no reports that any of the packages contained hazardous material.Powder-containing packages were sent to secretaries of state and state election offices in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Tennessee, Wyoming and Oklahoma, officials in those states confirmed.The FBI and U.S.
Postal Service were investigating.It marked the second time in the past year that suspicious packages were mailed to election officials in multiple state offices.The latest scare comes as early voting has begun in several states less than two months ahead of the high-stakes elections for president, Senate, Congress and key statehouse offices around the nation, causing disruption in what is already a tense voting season.Several of the states reported a white powder substance found in envelopes sent to election officials.
In most cases, the material was found to be harmless.Oklahoma officials said the material sent to the election office there contained flour.
Wyoming officials have not yet said if the material sent there was hazardous.The packages forced an evacuation in Iowa.Hazmat crews in several states quickly determined the material was harmless.“We have specific protocols in place for situations such as this,” Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said in a statement after the evacuation of the six-story Lucas State Office Building in Des Moines.
“We immediately reported the incident per our protocols."A state office building in Topeka, Kansas was also evacuated due to suspicious mail sent to both the secretary of state and attorney general, Kansas Highway Patrol spokesperson April M.McCollum said in a statement.
In Oklahoma, the State Election Board received a suspicious envelope in the mail containing a multi-page document and a white, powdery substance, agency spokesperson Misha Mohr said in an email to The Associated Press.The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, which oversees security for the Capito...