Federal officials intercepted a suspicious package addressed to Oregon's election office before it reached the state, Secretary of State Tobias Read said Friday, Oct. 16. The news arrives as Clackamas County voters, including those in Lake Oswego and West Linn, receive ballots for the Nov. 3 general election.

No one was harmed.

The package is part of a nationwide wave of threatening mail targeting election offices, as first reported by the Oregon Capital Chronicle. The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating what an FBI spokesperson called "a series of suspicious mailings" sent to election offices across the country.

The announcement landed the same week Clackamas County Elections mailed ballots to more than 324,000 voters for the Nov. 3 election.

"We are not aware of any additional suspicious packages heading to Oregon, but our office and our federal partners remain vigilant, and we are asking local elections officials to do the same," Read said in a written statement.

A spokesperson for Read said the office had no further details about the package. It is unclear when the package was sent or intercepted, or what it contained, The Oregonian reported.

The FBI said some of the letters in the nationwide wave contained an unknown substance. Letters with white powder prompted evacuations at election offices in Arizona and Louisiana, according to the Oregon Capital Chronicle. Federal officials also intercepted a package with white powder and a threatening letter intended for Minnesota's secretary of state.

NBC News reported Oct. 15 that federal law enforcement was investigating dozens of letters containing white powder mailed to congressional offices and state election officials. Preliminary testing showed the powder was not hazardous, NBC reported, citing unnamed law enforcement sources.

How Clackamas County voters can return ballots

Election officials and Read are urging voters to use official ballot drop sites rather than mail. A mail delivery test conducted by the secretary of state's office and all 36 county clerks in August found wide discrepancies in postal delivery times, particularly in rural areas, according to the Wilsonville Spokesman. One piece of test mail took 11 days to reach Harney County.

Voters who choose to mail their ballots should do so by Tuesday, Oct. 27, one week before Election Day, according to Clackamas County Elections. Mailed ballots must carry a valid postmark on or before Nov. 3.

Clackamas County has 26 official ballot drop sites with 24-hour access, according to the county voter guide. Local sites include:

  • Lake Oswego: City Hall, 380 A Ave. (drive-up); Westlake Park, 14165 Bunick Dr. (drive-up)
  • West Linn: City Hall, 22500 Salamo Rd.; Public Library, 1595 Burns St.
  • Oregon City: Clackamas County Clerk and Elections, 1710 Red Soils Ct. (drive-up); City Hall, 625 Center St. (drive-up)

Ballots deposited at a drop site must arrive by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3.

Read also urged voters to report any tampering at ballot boxes or voter intimidation to law enforcement at 911, their local elections office or the Secretary of State's hotline at 503-986-1518. Clackamas County Elections can be reached at 503-655-8510.