THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — The Thurston County Auditor's Office is the latest to receive a "suspicious" envelope as ballot processing continues from the 2023 election cycle.
In a release Monday, the Auditor's Office said it intercepted an envelope that "matched the description" of others sent to election offices in King, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish and Spokane counties in the past few weeks.
Thurston County officials said the envelope was isolated before it was opened by any election staff. The envelope was immediately turned over to law enforcement, and the county said no ballot processing was impacted.
On Tuesday, tests confirmed the envelope contained fentanyl.
This comes the week after employees evacuated at King, Pierce, Skagit and Spokane county elections offices after unknown powdery substances were found.
The Tacoma Police Department (TPD) said it received a call around 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 8 about an employee at the office who was handling an envelope when a white powder fell out of it.
The employee was wearing gloves at the time, according to TPD.
A message inside the envelope that contained the white powder said, "End the election now," according to TPD. Nothing else was written inside the envelope. The white powder was tested and confirmed to be baking powder, police said.
Police said the building was evacuated, and service at the office was delayed for two to three hours.
Gov. Jay Inslee released a statement that read, in part:
“Our elections are sacred and the guardianship of democracy begins at the local level in county offices across our state. Any threat to election workers is a threat to the vote itself."
At 10:58 a.m. that same day, King County Elections had fire and hazmat crews respond after a parcel with white powder was found, according to the Renton Police Department. Traces of fentanyl were found in the envelope, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation will be assisting local authorities in further investigating the letter.
At least 250 people, including political observers, were evacuated. The evacuation caused a "significant disruption" to the ballot processing at King County Elections, according to its communications director.
The substance found at King County Elections was mitigated and is not a threat to the workers inside the building.
King County Elections did receive a "suspicious letter" that was confirmed to have contained trace amounts of fentanyl back in August. However, it remains unclear if that letter is connected to the white powder found Wednesday.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs released a statement that read:
“The safety of staff and observers is paramount as elections workers across the state open envelopes and count each voter’s ballot. These incidents underscore the critical need for stronger protections for all election workers. Democracy rests upon free and fair elections. These incidents are acts of terrorism to threaten our elections.”
No word yet on whether the five previous incidents in King, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish and Spokane counties were connected.
No injuries were reported.