According to reports by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on October 16th, U.S. federal authorities said they are investigating a batch of 'potentially dangerous' letters sent to congressional and state election offices across the United States. These letters contain 'suspicious substances'.
The FBI and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) stated that they are attempting to track these suspicious emails, and some of them have been intercepted before reaching the recipients.
The authorities refused to disclose how many offices were targeted, but several state secretaries of state and congressional offices reported receiving these letters.
Currently, there are only a few weeks left before the U.S. midterm elections. This situation is similar to previous security concerns related to suspicious emails. These emails were sent to the offices of at least five Democratic senators, and most of them were intercepted before being delivered.
These senators’ offices confirmed the information with the BBC. The senators involved include Alex Padilla from California, Chris Murphy from Connecticut, and Kirsten Gillibrand from New York.
Columbia Broadcasting System News (CBS News) says New York State Senator Chuck Schumer and Delaware Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester also received suspicious emails.
Padilla said in a statement to the BBC: "This incident serves as a serious reminder that those who serve the public and help manage our elections face very real dangers in increasingly hostile political rhetoric."
Several state offices have also received suspicious emails. The Delaware State Election Department stated that its office received and opened a letter containing white powdery substance on the 15th, and added that staff members followed the security procedures for handling suspicious emails.
Oklahoma State Election Commission and the Louisiana Secretary of State's Office also said this week that they have received letters containing white powder.
Ohio State Secretary Frank LaRousse said that a letter containing white powder was intended to be delivered to his office, but it was intercepted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
According to communication records from emergency response workers obtained by the BBC, suspicious packages were also received at the New York State Capitol in Albany and the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service stated in a statement on the 15th that they will continue to protect the public and ensure the security of elections for American citizens.
Before the 2024 elections, election officials in 17 states received suspicious packages. In 2025, at least five state election offices received suspicious envelopes, some of which contained fentanyl.
