Suspicious envelope received by King county elections officials

King county elections workers doing their jobs
Photo from KC Elections

OLYMPIA — The Office of the Secretary of State is monitoring reports of suspicious materials in an envelope received by elections officials in King county.

Local, state, and federal authorities are investigating the incident, which occurred while election workers were processing ballots from the August 1 Primary election.

A suspicious letter received Monday by the King County Elections office was turned over to the United States Postal Inspection Service, which performed an analysis that detected trace amounts of fentanyl. 

Because the investigation is ongoing, the Office of the Secretary of State can provide no further information about the incident. 

“Elections offices in every county in Washington have had to develop emergency plans and protective strategies for events like these, which should serve as a sobering reminder of the dangers that surround our elections process and elections workers,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. 

“My office and I will provide all the resources at our disposal to any county that needs help confronting any challenge, and will continue to advocate for stronger protection for all elections workers.”