Delaware elections office resumes normal operations as FBI investigation into ‘suspicious’ envelopes continues

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Delaware Department of Elections offices resumed normal operations Friday as the FBI continued its investigation of “suspicious” envelopes sent to elections officials and members of Delaware’s congressional delegation the day before.

An employee in the elections commissioner’s office opened a letter containing a white powdery substance Thursday afternoon, prompting the evacuation of the Dover Building and sending home nonessential employees across the state. The United States Postal Inspection Service is testing the envelope and the substance.

Delaware U.S. Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Chris Coons confirmed they also received letters containing a white powder. Blunt Rochester’s office said the letter to her was intercepted by the U.S. Capitol Police and is under investigation.

State election officials said in a statement that they are continuing to prepare for November’s election uninterrupted, including holding public meetings, processing absentee ballots and testing voting machines. Early voting starts Oct. 22. The state commissioner is temporarily working out of the Kent County office building.

Several states, including Louisiana, Oklahoma and Ohio, have also reported receiving suspicious envelopes, as well as other members of Congress.

In 2001, the delivery of anthrax spores — also in the form of a white powder — to several news media outlets and two senators prompted the U.S. Postal Service to install biohazard detection systems at its major distribution centers. Officials have not said whether they suspect the contents of the package to be anthrax or fentanyl, the latter of which was delivered to some state elections offices in 2023. Elections officials in more than 15 states also received suspicious packages in 2024.