forced to evacuate after a worker

The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office was evacuated Thursday after a worker opened a letter containing an unknown white powder, one of dozens of election offices across the country targeted with similar letters that the FBI and U.S. Postal Service are actively investigating. 

“Yesterday’s attack was not a harmless prank,” Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes told reporters outside of the Executive Tower at the state Capitol. “The fear it caused is real.” 

Fontes said that an employee in his office opened a letter Thursday and a white substance came out. The office was swiftly evacuated so a hazardous materials team investigated. 

Votebeat reported that more than 100 election offices, political organizations and elected officials received similar letters.

Threats against election officials have escalated in recent years both nationally and locally as unfounded accusations of voter fraud from Republican elected officials and far-right influencers have fueled extremists to threaten officials or commit crimes, such as burning drop boxes, to stop the imagined fraud. 

In recent years, Arizona has seen a significant drain of qualified election workers due to the increased threats as the state has been a focal point for false fraud claims. Arizona saw the most losses of any western state on its election workforce in the past few years. 

“The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices,” the FBI said in a statement to the Arizona Mirror. “Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident. We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters. This FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to safeguard the public and secure elections for American citizens.”

But Fontes said his office and its employees are undeterred and the action did little to impact their daily work. 

“To whoever sent that package, you failed,” Fontes said, urging voters to participate in the election to respond to the intimidation tactic. “The most practical response to intimidation is participation.” 

The office’s chief information security officer, Michael Moore, said that they worked quickly and closely with both federal and local law enforcement to address the issue when it happened. 

“To us, it was a Thursday,” Moore said. “Threats are not new.” 

The incident occurred at around 3 p.m. when a member of staff opened an envelope addressed to the office that contained a “white powder.” The powder was quickly identified as non-toxic, Moore said. 

“You basically caused no disruption,” he said, speaking to whoever sent the letter. 

Fontes said his office had already “beefed up” its security a few weeks back and said that election officials across the state are prepared for any issues that could arise in the coming weeks, citing table top exercises his office has put on and the quick response to bomb threats made last cycle as examples. 

“We are prepared. We are ready to go,” he said. 

Fontes said his office has also been in communication with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes about state charges when the perpetrator is found, and he lauded his staff for remaining calm during Thursday’s chaos. 

“While none of this is routine, they certainly handled it in a calm and professional manner,” Fontes said.