Public Election Offices Face Suspicious Mailings in 15 States

Election offices in at least 15 states reported suspicious packages as federal authorities investigated dozens of letters mailed to congressional offices and state election officials, less than three weeks before Election Day. Preliminary testing found the white powder in the letters wasn't hazardous, three law enforcement sources briefed on the matter told NBC News, but laboratories will conduct additional testing.

Election offices targeted

The offices reporting suspicious packages were in Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin. The FBI said the mailings went to “various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices,” but didn't identify all targeted locations.

Oklahoma and Louisiana reported receiving envelopes, while the U.S. Postal Service intercepted a package destined for Ohio, NBC News reported Wednesday. A correction dated Oct. 15, 2026, said the Oklahoma recipient was the state Election Board, not the secretary of state's office. The correction noted that election oversight in Oklahoma is carried out by the Election Board.

Several Democratic senators' offices were also targeted, including those of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy. Authorities intercepted a letter addressed to Schumer, a spokesperson for his office said. A Padilla spokesperson said the FBI notified the office that the Postal Service had intercepted a letter containing a suspicious substance.

Murphy's spokesperson, Josh Sorbe, said the FBI, Capitol Police and the sergeant at arms informed the Hartford, Connecticut, office about a letter. Murphy and his staff “were not in immediate danger,” Sorbe said.

Federal response and screening

The FBI, U.S. Capitol Police and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating, according to a notice sent Thursday to senior staff in Senate offices. “Law enforcement officials are working to intercept any additional letters before they are delivered, however, it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations,” the notice said. Two law enforcement sources confirmed that dozens of letters had been sent but declined to give an exact number received or seized while authorities continued interception efforts.

The FBI said some letters contained an unknown substance and that it was working with law enforcement partners to respond to each incident and identify those responsible. The Senate notice said the letters “may contain different variations of postage stamps.” It directed staff to treat suspicious letters, packages or substances as potentially hazardous and follow established safety procedures. Senate staff screen and test mail and packages delivered to Senate offices or the Capitol complex for potential threats.

The House sergeant at arms sent a similar notice Thursday to House lawmakers and staff. It said Capitol mail and packages receive rigorous screening and advised district offices to use safe handling procedures, including “mail hoods” provided by the sergeant at arms. Two congressional offices that shared the message with NBC News said the equipment allows staff to handle mail without exposure to danger. The notice said no House members had been identified as intended recipients.

Election timing and investigation

Congress is on recess before the midterm elections. Most lawmakers are back in their districts campaigning in the final weeks before Election Day, while congressional staff members remain on the Capitol campus. Election Day is Nov. 3, and early voting is already underway in numerous states.

Former FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jason Pack told NBC News that a crime may have occurred even if the letters prove harmless or turn out to be a hoax. He said statutes concerning mailing a threat or mailing something believed to be hazardous could carry five to 20 years behind bars. Pack said the Postal Inspection Service and FBI can investigate where the mail originated and work backward to identify its sender. The motive isn't clear, he said, and “the timing is somewhat suspicious with the election ahead of us.”

Threats against election workers have increased in recent years, the article noted, including suspicious substances mailed to their offices in 2023 and weeks before the 2024 presidential election.