DELAWARE - State and federal authorities are investigating after a letter containing an unidentified white powdery substance was opened at a Delaware Department of Elections office Thursday afternoon.
According to the department, employees at the Dover office received and opened the letter around 2 p.m. Oct. 15 and discovered the substance inside.
Staff followed security protocols and U.S. Postal Service instructions for handling suspicious mail. The letter was isolated, employees were decontaminated and evacuated, and the building's heating, ventilation and air conditioning system was shut down.
Law enforcement and state and federal partners responded to the office to investigate and test the substance. The Department of Elections said all election offices across Delaware sent nonessential state employees home out of an abundance of caution.
The department has not identified the substance or provided information about potential injuries or exposure-related illnesses.
This comes as packages, also with a mysterious powder, were sent to election offices in Ohio, Louisiana and Oklahoma, NBC reports.Â
