Suspicious packages were sent to election officials in at least five states on Monday, according to state officials.
There were no reports of any dangerous items in the package, and the FBI and the U.S. Postal Service confirmed they were investigating the incident, the Associated Press reported.
The Hill has reached out to both organizations for comment.
According to the Associated Press, packages containing a powdery substance were sent to secretaries of state and elections offices in Nebraska, Tennessee, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Iowa.
In most cases, the substances are already deemed harmless. In Oklahoma, officials determined that substances sent to an elections office contained flour. NebraskaThe substance was tested and found to be harmless.
It's not yet clear whether other jurisdictions have finished testing for the substance. In Iowa, rules have required the evacuation of the entire six-story statehouse because of the substance. In Wyoming, workers near the state capitol were sent home while tests were ongoing for a white substance sent to the Secretary of State's office.
local Kansas Report Topeka Fire Department spokesman Alan Staal said two packages were found — one addressed to the Secretary of State and the other to the Attorney General — and were “precautionary evacuations” for further inspection.
This is the second time that suspicious packages have been sent to election officials in the last year. Suspicious letters were sent to election offices and government buildings in at least six states in November. Some of the letters contained fentanyl, but others were non-toxic. Still, the suspicious mail has delayed vote counting in some local elections, according to the Associated Press.
The latest incidents came just under two months before what is expected to be a fiercely contested election. Authorities have taken steps to beef up security at election facilities and increase protection for workers across the country after many election workers faced a wave of harassment during the 2020 election and its aftermath.
The Associated Press contributed.
