Federal authorities are investigating a series of suspicious letters and packages containing an unknown white powder that have been mailed to congressional offices and state election offices across the country in the weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
The probe involves the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Capitol Police who are working to identify whoever sent the mailings and to intercept any that remain in the postal system. Preliminary testing of the powder has indicated it is not hazardous, according to law enforcement sources briefed by NBC News, though further analysis is continuing.
Election offices in at least 15 states — including Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin — have said they were sent the packages or had them intercepted before delivery, NBC reported. In Louisiana and Oklahoma, staff opened or handled the letters, prompting temporary evacuations; both offices later reopened after testing found no harmful substances. Wisconsin’s Elections Commission also received a letter that field testing determined was not dangerous.
Publicly identified recipients have mostly been Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Sens. Alex Padilla of California, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Lisa Blunt Rochester according to CBS News. Several House members, including Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, Ritchie Torres of New York, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Maxwell Frost of Florida and Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, have also reported that offices in their home states received the mailings. Some Republican senators have been targeted, though their names have not been released.
Most of the letters addressed to Congress were intercepted by USPS or Capitol Police before reaching the intended offices. A Senate Sergeant at Arms notice to staff warned that some letters might still arrive and urged careful mail handling.
On Friday, a mailroom employee in the building of Rep. Jayapal’s Seattle office reported a suspicious package, prompting evacuation of the second floor of the building, The Seattle Times reported. Seattle Fire Department hazmat crews responded; the building was declared safe less than two hours later, and no injuries were reported. Fire officials said the package was being transferred to the Postal Inspection Service.
My statement on a suspicious package that was received at my office: pic.twitter.com/dKlAfBYrCH
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) October 16, 2026
Jayapal said in a statement that she and her staff were safe and following protocol. “This seemingly deliberate and widespread attack on our democracy and elections is unacceptable,” she said. The incident followed the interception Thursday of a letter containing white powder addressed to the Washington secretary of state’s elections division.
Early voting is underway or about to begin in many states, and the Postal Service is preparing to handle millions of mailed ballots. Official ballot drop boxes remain the most direct and reliable way to ensure ballots are received on time, especially during the final week before Election Day.
There are 38 official ballot drop boxes open across Snohomish County for the November 3 General Election. Ballot drop boxes are available 24 hours a day until 8 p.m. on Election Day, providing a convenient option for voters to return their completed ballots. A complete list of official ballot drop box locations can be found online at snoco.gov/elections and in the voters’ pamphlet.
Voters who need to return their ballot by mail within one week of Election Day are encouraged to visit a local post office to request a free, hand-stamped postmark from a postal clerk to ensure their ballot is postmarked on time. Ballots must be postmarked by November 3 to be counted.
The deadline to register to vote or update an existing registration online or by mail is Monday, October 26. After the online and mail registration deadline, voters can still register to vote or update their existing registration information in person at the Auditor’s Office in Everett and accessible voter services locations up until 8 p.m. on Election Night. Voters can find location information and operating hours for accessible voter services locations in the local voters’ pamphlet and on the county’s website.
Voters can track their ballot’s progress online at VoteWA.gov to see when it has been received, verified, and accepted for counting. Voters can also sign up for ballot text alerts to be notified when their ballot completes each step of the process. If there is a problem with their ballot signature, voters who have signed up for text alerts will receive a text explaining the issue and how to resolve it.
Author: Mario Lotmore
