Suspicious Package Sent to Oregon Elections Office Was Part of Campaign Targeting at Least 32 States, Report Finds

Oregon is one of 32 states targeted in a nationwide postal scare campaign.

At Least 32 States Have Been Targeted in a Campaign Involving Suspicious Parcels

WIRED reports that an in-house investigation found that at least 32 states were targeted in a campaign involving suspicious packages containing an unknown white powder.

A Suspicious Parcel Addressed to the Oregon SoS Was Intercepted Before Delivery

Katu reported on October 16 that a suspicious package addressed to the Oregon Secretary of State (SoS) Tobias Read was intercepted before it reached the state’s election office. A similar package was also intercepted before it was delivered to the Washington state SoS..

Oregon’s Election Workers Will Remain Vigilant in the Run-Up to the Midterms

Read’s office says election workers will remain vigilant in the days leading up to the November 3 election.

Election officials ‘are prepared to respond if a package arrives in Oregon,’ and Read says his officers will do everything it can to protect the integrity of the elections and the safety of Oregonians.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Washington SoS said they learned about the interception of a suspicious package. The package, addressed to the elections division office, had contained a white powder and was intercepted last Thursday.

WIRED Investigation Involved 50 States

WIRED contacted all 50 states in its investigation into the midterm election harassment campaign. In isolated incidents, suspicious packages arrived at target offices, resulting in evacuations and an immediate halt to work.

One such event occurred in Louisiana last Tuesday when white powder fell out of a letter mailed to the SoS office. The employee who opened the envelope was rushed to the emergency room, but tests showed that the substance was not harmful and the employee was uninjured. Other targeted offices that opened the parcels were Arizona, Delaware, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.

The WIRED investigation found that most of the suspicious parcels were intercepted by workers at the U.S. Postal Service and also involved agents from the FBI. In Alaska last Friday, the FBI notified election officials that a suspicious envelope was likely to arrive the following day. However, the USPS identified the package before it was sent out for delivery.

To date, no one has been injured in any of the incidents.