KING COUNTY, Wash. — Envelopes containing "suspicious materials" were sent to elections officials in King and Okanogan Counties while they were processing ballots from the Aug. 1 Primary, according to the Office of the Secretary of State.
Local, state and federal authorities are investigating.
A suspicious letter was received Monday by the King County Elections office which they turned over to the United States Postal Inspection Service. An analysis detected trace amounts of fentanyl.
The Okanogan County Courthouse was evacuated on Wednesday after the auditor's office contacted authorities to report receiving an envelope containing an unidentified substance, which is currently being tested.
It is unknown if the incidents are connected. The Office of the Secretary of State was not able to provide further details because both investigations are ongoing.
“Elections offices in every county in Washington have had to develop emergency plans and protective strategies for events like these, which should serve as a sobering reminder of the dangers that surround our elections process and elections workers,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “My office and I will provide all the resources at our disposal to any county that needs help confronting any challenge, and will continue to advocate for stronger protection for all elections workers.”
Hobbs recently announced that up to $80,000 in election-security funds were available to each Washington county that uses an Albert sensor to monitor security risks to their elections networks. This is the second year of the program, and more than $1.57 million has been distributed between 2022 and 2023 for county election security purposes.