White powder envelope prompts hazmat response at Arizona Secretary of State’s office

The Arizona Executive Tower was briefly evacuated Thursday afternoon after staff in the secretary of state’s office opened an envelope filled with white powder, officials said.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety, its hazardous materials response team and the FBI are investigating, according to Gov. Katie Hobbs’ office.

There were no reported injuries, and Hobbs was not in the building at the time, her office said.

Secretary of state employees called law enforcement and hazmat crews, isolated the material and the people who were exposed to it, and shut off access to the floor, according to a statement from that office.

Officials did not identify the substance.

“The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices. Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident. We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters. This FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to safeguard the public and secure elections for American citizens.”

– Federal Bureau of Investigations in a statement to KTAR News 92.3 FM.

The FBI said it and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were looking into “a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices.”

PRESS RELEASE: Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes addresses targeted threat at Executive Tower https://t.co/L4mXkuCnkb

— Arizona Secretary of State (@AZSecretary) October 16, 2026

Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat who oversees Arizona’s elections, called the incident “a sobering moment that highlights the reality of election administration in this country today.”

“We will not be scared out of doing our jobs on behalf of the voters of Arizona,” Fontes said, adding that he expects threats to continue as the election approaches and that his office is “on high alert.”

Hobbs’ office said it is monitoring the situation with law enforcement.

Similar envelopes received at voting offices across the U.S.

Election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma were evacuated earlier this week after receiving packages containing a powdery substance.

Ohio’s secretary of state said the Postal Service intercepted a package with white powder meant for that office, and states from Idaho to Florida have reported receiving letters or having them intercepted.

In Wisconsin, tests showed the powder in a letter sent to the state elections commission was not hazardous.

Letters also targeted U.S. Senate offices.

Democratic Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, Alex Padilla of California and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said suspicious mail addressed to them was intercepted.

The FBI said some of the letters contained an unknown substance and that it is working to identify whoever sent them.

The mailings echo a 2023 threat, when election offices in six states received letters containing white powder. Some of those letters contained traces of fentanyl.

The incident comes less than three weeks before the Nov. 3 general election.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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