Insights, News and Analysis on Mail Security and More

The increase in mail-based threats, many containing fentanyl, represents an escalation in the severity of threats against U.S. election sites in 2024. 

In just a three-month span in late 2023, election officials, offices, and polling sites in five different states – California, Georgia, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington – all received threatening letters and packages. Four of these five packages contained fentanyl, which is extremely dangerous and potentially deadly.

Unfortunately, these events weren’t an anomaly. They represent a trend that goes back to 2018, with several repeat instances in  2021, and one that continues today. In addition to these cases, California was once again targeted in January of 2024, where an envelope containing fentanyl was sent to the Yuba County Registrar of Voters headquarters.

These are just the latest examples of mail-based threats targeting courts, election sites, and political offices, and based on the data, the problem is likely to get worse as we approach the 2024 Presidential election.

In a recent example, Donald Trump Jr. received an envelope that contained a suspicious white powder. Hazmat vehicles and fire trucks responded before determining that the powder was not dangerous. Based on recent trends, it is likely that more high-profile people associated with the elections will be targeted in the months to come.

These cases are especially concerning because they represent a clear escalation in the intent behind these actions. In the past, perpetrators typically sent white powders and other potentially illicit substances – which were usually hoaxes – to spread discord or attempt to disrupt the voting process. Yet now, their actions seem to show their intention to inflict personal harm to mail recipients. It’s a dangerous situation, with potentially serious implications for the elections ahead.

CISA’s Recommendations

In response to these high-profile cases, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently released its new guide in collaboration with the FBI, USPIS, and the Election Assistance Commission, “Election Mail Handling Procedures to Protect Against Hazardous Materials. This guide is one of several CISA resources in its #Protect2024 campaign, which is intended to improve the safety and security of our elections in 2024.

The guide highlights the risk from powder threats and hazardous materials in mail, including fentanyl, anthrax, and ricin. It offers many recommendations that elections offices can follow to prepare on how to handle suspicious mail, identify letters and packages that may contain threats, and if needed, respond to exposure to hazardous materials.

For example, ensuring the safety of screeners by providing them with personal protective equipment (PPE) and training them on mail screening best practices is a vital – although commonly overlooked – first step. Additionally, government agencies should also consider deploying screening technologies that can detect the presence of potentially harmful substances hidden in the mail – before it’s opened.

Past Success: Mayor Pete’s 2020 Campaign

We have already seen examples of how better screening technology can make a difference. In 2020, Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s U.S. presidential campaign chose RaySecur’s MailSecur scanner to help combat a high volume of written threats.

MailSecur enabled staff to “see inside” letters and packages with real-time 3D video so they could detect potential threats before the item was opened. This made it easy for a campaign staffer with no previous security or mail screening experience to quickly get up to speed. More importantly, the employee was able to quickly identify any potentially suspicious items to prevent any shutdowns due to mail threats and keep the campaign safe.

Next Steps

Political offices and government agencies, especially election offices, must be on high alert in 2024 considering our current polarized political climate and distrust of the election process. Since mail is a key component for mail balloting as well as standard office operations related to elections, these offices now need more effective procedures to screen and handle the mail.

For more information related to these cases of election site threats, download our Special Mail Security Alert, or contact us to learn more about RaySecur and how we can help improve election security in 2024 – and beyond.