Nevada is among at least six states where election offices received suspicious letters in the mail. The Secretary of State’s office on Thursday said the Federal Bureau of Investigation was looking into the matter, along with the U.S. Postal Service and state law enforcement.
No further comment was provided by state officials.
According to national news reports, the suspicious letters were mailed to election officials in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Texas and Georgia. Four states, including Washington and Georgia, received letters that field tested positive for fentanyl; one letter contained baking soda.
Pierce County Elections in Washington shared an image of the letter received there. Under a heading of “End Elections Now,” also reads, “Also be aware your ballot drops are very susceptible to noxious chemicals…”
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called the situation “domestic terrorism” and said all of Georgia’s election offices will be equipped with Narcan, an over-the-counter treatment or opioid overdose that can counteract the effects of fentanyl.
The letters are another threat leveled at election workers who have endured harassment and intimidation following the 2020 election. More than half of Nevada’s top county election officials resigned between the 2020 and 2022 elections, and many of their staff members followed suit.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo in May signed into law Senate Bill 406 that makes harassing, intimidating or interfering with the duties of an election official a felony that carries a sentence of up to four years in prison.
