A suspicious package containing unbleached flour was picked up at the California Secretary of State’s office in Sacramento, in what appears to be the latest suspicious package sent to election officials across the country, officials said Thursday afternoon.
In all, suspicious packages were sent to election officials in at least 15 other states, officials said. The source of the Sacramento package is unknown.
“Field testing and possible chemical testing by state authorities determined that the contents of the package were not hazardous and tested positive for unbleached flour,” Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a statement, adding that federal authorities are continuing their investigation.
Weber said local election offices are advised to take extra precautions before handling mail that arrives at their facilities.
On Tuesday, the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service began investigating suspicious packages addressed to election officials in more than a dozen states, including Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Rhode Island, Mississippi and Connecticut.
So far, there have been no reports of damage to the packages or harmful materials in them. However, FBI spokeswoman Kristen Cetera said in a statement that an “unknown substance” was found in some of the packages.
A package sent to an election office in Oklahoma also contained flour, state officials said.
This is the second time in recent months that election offices in several states have been targeted by suspicious messages.
The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service reported that letters were sent to election offices in five states in November, some of which contained fentanyl.
It is the latest in a wave of questionable transfers as early voting for the November election begins in several states. Former President Trump, the ruling party’s presidential nominee, has insisted without evidence that he lost the last election because of voter fraud and has put particular emphasis on the country’s voting process and election officials.
On Tuesday, the National Association of Secretary of State of the United States or NASS issued a statement condemning the suspicious messages as well as the attempted assassination of Trump.
“There is no place in our democracy for political violence, threats or intimidation of any kind,” NASS said.
Weber said his office will continue to work with state and federal authorities to monitor any threats to California election workers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
