A “suspicious” envelope intended to be sent to Connecticut election officials was intercepted Tuesday at a postal facility in West Hartford, officials said.
The incident comes as similar envelopes have been sent to election offices across the U.S.
The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) intercepted an envelope at a U.S. Postal Service facility that “matched the description of suspicious envelopes received by other offices,” according to a statement from Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) alerted her office of the matter.
The envelope has been sent to the state lab for processing, officials said.
Thomas said her office had been alerted Monday by federal officials about envelopes containing an unidentified white powder being sent to other election offices nationwide.
Federal investigators said Tuesday they were investigating the origin of suspicious packages that have been sent to or received by election officials in more than 15 states.
The FBI is collecting the packages, some of which contained “an unknown substance,” agency spokesperson Kristen Setera in Boston said in a statement.
Tuesday’s batch of mailers marks the second time in the past year that suspicious packages were mailed to election officials in multiple states. Local election directors are beefing up security to keep workers and polling places safe while also ensuring that ballots and voting procedures won’t be tampered with.
The National Association of Secretaries of State condemned what it described as a “disturbing trend” of threats to election workers leading up to Nov. 5, as well as the second apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
“This must stop, period,” the group said. "Our democracy has no place for political violence, threats or intimidation of any kind.”
Election offices across the United States have taken steps to increase security amid an onslaught of harassment and threats following the 2020 election and the false claims that it was rigged.
In Connecticut, Thomas said workers in her office were alerted Monday to prepare for “the possible receipt of one of these envelopes, including protocols on the proper handling of hazardous materials and ensuring protective gear is in place.”
She thanked federal and state authorities for their efforts in intercepting the suspicious package.
“For almost two years, we have been working as a team preparing for events such as this,” Thomas said. “We are now seeing why that work has been so important.”
Connecticut Public's Patrick Skahill and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
