The FBI and US Postal Inspection Service launched an investigation after election officials in several states reported receiving strange envelopes in the mail this week that included a powdery white material.

On Tuesday, officials in Louisiana and Oklahoma acknowledged receiving these letters and reported that they had evacuated their election offices while law enforcement dealt with the events.

Frank LaRose, the secretary of state for Ohio, stated on Wednesday that although the Postal Service intercepted a suspicious letter, his office was the "intended recipient." None of the incidents were reported to have injured anyone.

"A series of suspicious mailings" have been sent to "various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices," according to an FBI statement released on Wednesday nite.

The FBI stated, "We are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident, and some of the letters contained an unknown substance." "We are also collaborating with our partners to find the person or people who sent the letters."

The events "deeply concerned" the National Association of State Election Directors and the National Association of Secretaries of State.

In a joint statement, the two organizations said, "As we have each stated in the past, threats against election officials and workers have no place in our democracy." "Those who oversee our elections should never worry about their safety while performing their vital tasks."

Threatening or questionable letters is nothing new to election authorities nationwide. Only weeks before the 2024 presidential election, election officials in at least six states received items containing powder.

John Cohen, a former acting undersecretary for intelligence and analysis at the Department of Homeland Security, told CNN that the incidents this week demonstrate that "election and law enforcement officials must be prepared to address a broad range of cyber and physical threats in the current threat environment."

Cohen stated, "The bad news [is] that the threat is rapidly evolving, dynamic, technologically enabled, and dangerous." "The good news is that local and state officials are more equipped than ever to deal with these threats."