An envelope containing fentanyl was mailed to an elections office in northern California, where a worker was exposed to the drug, officials said on Wednesday.
The elections department in Yuba county, a rural area about 40 miles from Sacramento, the state capital, received the package on Tuesday. It appeared to come from a “verified agency” and did not initially look suspicious, a county spokesperson said. A staff member found a powdery substance inside and contacted law enforcement.
An initial test showed the presence of fentanyl, but further analysis will be conducted to confirm the results.
“We are grateful that no one was harmed in this incident and we will continue to exercise caution as we perform the important work of conducting elections,” Donna Hillegass, the Yuba county elections clerk-recorder, said in a statement.
In November, suspicious packages, including some containing fentanyl, were mailed to elections facilities in at least five states, including offices in Sacramento and Los Angeles.
This week’s incident prompted the office of California’s secretary of state to issue an advisory to county election officials across the state with guidance on safety protocols.
“I am relieved that nobody was harmed,” Shirley Weber, the state’s top voting official, said in a statement. “The response of the Yuba county registrar’s team and sheriff’s office minimized potential harm and ensured my office could provide immediate guidance to the state’s 57 other counties.”
US elections offices across the US have faced years of threats and harassment since 2020, as Donald Trump and his supporters have falsely claimed the presidency was stolen from him and have tried to cast doubt on the integrity of America’s elections.
In California, the threats have often been concentrated in small rural counties. Nevada county, just east of Yuba, increased its security budget in 2022 after a wave of harassment. The county counsel there sought out a restraining order against residents who pushed their way into the elections office and threatened an official.
The elections office in Shasta county, a region of 180,000 people in the state’s far north that has risen to national prominence for its far-right politics and thriving election denier movement, has dealt with particularly intense intimidation and threats. Election skeptics have frequently grilled staffers about perceived issues, while rowdy observers seeking to prevent “fraud” have interfered with elections processing, and far-right officials have falsely claimed county elections are “manipulated”.
The Shasta elections office has taken additional safety measures and had security guards and sheriff’s deputies present as staff processed ballots in November’s election.
“Ten years ago I never thought I’d have to strategize how to protect my staff,” Cathy Darling Allen, the county’s registrar of voters, told the Guardian in November.
Many US elections offices have taken steps to enhance building security and increase protections for workers. Some have started stocking up on naloxone, the antidote to fentanyl, in the aftermath of the packages mailed out around the last election.
The November letters prompted evacuations and delayed the counting of ballots in some states. The FBI and US Postal Inspection Service intercepted some packages, including letters intended for offices in Sacramento and Los Angeles.
The secretary of state in Washington, where four offices were evacuated after receiving envelopes, has warned that elections officials face “ongoing and constant” threats.
“I see this as a prelude to 2024, and I also view this as a domestic terrorist event,” Steve Hobbs said in an interview with Politico.
The Yuba county sheriff’s department is investigating Wednesday’s incident. The county said workers recently received training on how to identify and handle suspicious packages and that the office has naloxone on hand.
“I trust that law enforcement authorities will identify and bring to justice any persons responsible for seeking to intimidate, threaten, or harm election workers,” Weber said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
