Election Offices in 32 States Receive Suspicious Letters

At least 32 states have received suspicious letters mailed to election offices in the two weeks before the midterms, according to a state-by-state survey conducted by WIRED, which contacted officials in all 50 states and Washington, DC. The tally, published Oct. 19, 2026, represents the first full accounting of a mail-based harassment campaign that has already triggered at least one emergency-room visit and five office evacuations.

The pattern started in Louisiana. At 12:20 p.m. last Tuesday, an employee in the secretary of state's office opened a letter and white powder spilled out, according to WIRED. The office was evacuated and the employee was taken to the emergency room; subsequent testing found the substance was not harmful, and the office reopened the next day. "Tuesday's event did not impact any election operations in preparation for the upcoming election," Trey Williams, a spokesperson for Louisiana's secretary of state, told WIRED.

How Many States Were Targeted?

Of the 50 states and Washington, DC, that WIRED contacted, 32 states — 64 percent of the total — confirmed they had received a letter. Ten states (Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and West Virginia) plus Washington, DC, told WIRED they had received nothing. Eight state election offices did not respond to WIRED's inquiry, meaning the confirmed count of 32 is a floor, not a ceiling. States that confirmed a letter arrived span the map geographically and politically: Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

Which Letters Were Not Intercepted?

The United States Postal Service intercepted the vast majority of the letters before they reached election staff, state officials told WIRED. But in five of the 32 confirmed states — Arizona, Delaware, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Louisiana — interception failed, and the letters reached election offices, where white powder spilled out and triggered evacuations. That is roughly one in six of the confirmed incidents resulting in a physical evacuation, by WIRED's count.

What Did Officials Find Inside the Envelopes?

In every case where a letter was opened and tested, the white powder has been reported as not harmful, according to WIRED's reporting. That finding held in Louisiana after the ER visit. Even so, the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors issued a joint statement calling the incidents concerning. "We are deeply concerned by these incidents," the groups wrote. "As we have each stated in the past, threats against election officials and workers have no place in our democracy. Those who administer our elections should never fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties."

Timeline: How the Harassment Campaign Unfolded

• Last Tuesday, 12:20 p.m.: A letter opened in the Louisiana secretary of state's office releases white powder; the office is evacuated and an employee is sent to the hospital.
• Wednesday: The Louisiana office reopens after tests show the substance is not harmful.
• Following days: Election offices in at least 31 additional states report receiving similar letters, according to WIRED's survey of all 50 states and DC.
• Friday: The FBI notifies Alaska authorities that an envelope addressed to election officials is expected to arrive the next day.
• Saturday, roughly 9 a.m.: USPS identifies the suspicious package in Alaska, per reporting from the Juneau Independent cited by WIRED.
• Friday, same week: Utah officials tell WIRED they are coordinating with postal employees who are "actively monitoring" mail for a matching letter so it can be intercepted before delivery.

How Are Election Offices Responding?

Federal agencies have been feeding warnings to state election offices as the pattern spread, WIRED reports, allowing some states to intercept letters before they were opened. Utah is one example: officials said postal workers were watching specifically for a letter matching the description circulating among secretaries of state. That coordination appears to explain why 27 of the 32 confirmed-target states avoided an evacuation, even as five did not. With the midterms two weeks away at the time of WIRED's reporting, election administrators in at least 10 states report no activity at all, underscoring that the campaign, while wide, has not reached every jurisdiction. The full scope — including the eight states that did not respond to WIRED — remains unresolved, and WIRED's count stands as the most complete public tally available ahead of Election Day.

This report is based on reporting by WIRED's David Gilbert. Read the original investigation for additional detail.

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