FBI investigates suspicious letters sent to election offices weeks before midterms
The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating letters containing an unknown substance sent to state officials and election offices across the country. The Guardian
Election workers in Louisiana and Oklahoma received envelopes holding a powdery substance weeks before the November 2026 midterm elections. The deliveries led to evacuations. A package containing white powder addressed to the Ohio secretary of state was intercepted by the Postal Service.
Congressional offices received letters containing suspicious substances as well. AP
The Senate sergeant at arms, the chamber's security officer, informed senators of the investigation in a message on Thursday, 15 October. At a press conference that day, Postal Inspection Service senior official Brendan Donahue confirmed the investigation into the suspicious mailings.
Federal authorities urged recipients to treat the mail as potentially hazardous while law enforcement worked to intercept additional mail. The FBI said it is investigating a series of suspicious mailings to various addresses nationwide, including secretary of state offices and related election officers, alongside the Postal Inspection Service.
In Oklahoma, state troopers determined that the substance mailed to the State Capitol complex was non-hazardous. No finding on the other letters has been announced.
The National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors said in a joint statement on Wednesday that they are deeply concerned by the incidents.
Similar mailings have occurred in past election cycles. During the 2024 election, at least 14 election offices across the United States received mail containing white powder. In 2023, election offices in six states received mail containing white powder, with some cases containing trace amounts of fentanyl.
