The Illinois State Board of Elections in Springfield was evacuated Friday after receiving a suspicious package — joining a growing list of election offices that have been targeted nationwide.
The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said last week they were investigating the origin of suspicious packages that have been sent to, or received by, elections officials in more than 20 states. The Associated Press reported last week that some of the packages contained “an unknown substance.”
Illinois is now part of that investigation after the state elections board office received an envelope Friday morning, prompting the evacuation of about 15 to 20 employees, according to Illinois State Board of Elections spokesman Matt Dietrich. The FBI came to the office and determined the envelope wasn’t harmful, he said.
“By Thursday, over 20 other states had already received something, and we were prepared,” Dietrich said. “We knew what to look for. We knew, don’t open it, and handle it with gloves.”
Dietrich said it had a return address of U.S.T.E.A, which stood for “U.S. Traitor Elimination Army” — the same return address sent to other election authorities.
Dietrich said the office was aware they could join the list of states receiving suspicious deliveries, but Friday marked the first time the office has had to call law enforcement to help secure the office.
The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a “series of suspicious mailings sent to election officials in several states,” the FBI said in a statement.
“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance, and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident and safely collect the letters. We are also working with our partners to determine how many letters were sent, the individual or individuals responsible for the letters and the motive behind the letters,” FBI Springfield spokeswoman Rebecca Cramblit said. “As this is an ongoing matter, we will not be commenting further on the investigation, but the public can be assured safety is our top priority.”
CNN on Friday reported the states that have received the packages included Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.
The mailings came as election authorities prepare for crucial voting deadlines. In Illinois, Thursday marks the first day election authorities can mail an official ballot to a registered voter who has requested one.
Last year, suspicious letters, some containing fentanyl, were sent to elections offices in at least five states and delayed the counting of ballots in some local races, the Associated Press reported.