Spokane County election workers were evacuated Wednesday morning after a suspicious substance and a note was discovered in an envelope.
Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton said the ballot counting was immediately halted and will not resume today. Elections offices in a few counties around the state have also been evacuated after discovering a suspicious substance, Dalton noted, though she did not immediately have further information.
An employee discovered the substance around 10:15 a.m, Dalton said. The person informed her manager who halted ballot counting and evacuated the office. Spokane police and fire personnel arrived on scene and seized the envelope.
After initial evaluation, emergency personnel cleared elections workers to return to the office, Dalton said. However, most staff have already been sent home, and the elections office will remain closed to the public today. No additional ballots will be tallied today, and the next release of vote tallies won’t happen until 5 p.m. Thursday.
Dalton said it was the first time in her time with the Spokane County Elections Office that the vote count had been interrupted by an evacuation. She expressed disappointment with the situation but said that their work would continue tomorrow.
“Our role here is to make sure democracy happens,” Dalton said.
in washington state us
Indeed. An update:
Elections offices in Spokane, Pierce and King counties were evacuated Wednesday after election workers found white powder in envelopes.
In a prepared statement, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs called the incident an act of terrorism.
“The safety of staff and observers is paramount as elections workers across the state open envelopes and count each voter’s ballot,” Hobbs said. “These incidents underscore the critical need for stronger protections for all election workers.”
In Spokane County, an election worker discovered a suspicious substance and a note in an envelope Wednesday morning. The substance found in Spokane County tested positive for fentanyl, according to the Spokane Police Department.
Also, from the Seattle Times,
Tacoma police confirmed a hazmat response at the Pierce County Elections Office at about 8:45 a.m., after an elections worker found an envelope “that dispersed a white powdery substance.”
Washington State Patrol and Tacoma fire crews responded and determined the substance was baking soda, according to William Muse, a police spokesperson.
A message inside the envelope said “something to the effect of stopping the election,” Muse said. “There was no candidate that was identified. There was no religious affiliated group identified. There was no political issue identified. It was just that vague statement.”
This sounds about right to come from the neonazis out that way.
