4 election offices evacuated in Washington state; fentanyl found at 2

Four county elections offices in Washington state, including in King County, were evacuated Wednesday after workers received envelopes containing "unknown powdery substances," according to the Secretary of State's office.

• In each case, the substances were discovered as workers were busy counting ballots from Tuesday's election.

Zoom in: In King County, a staff member in the mailroom of the county elections office in Renton opened an envelope and discovered white powder, spokesperson Halei Watkins told Axios.

• Preliminary testing showed a presence of fentanyl, Watkins said. But it wasn't immediately clear if the envelope carried a trace of the drug "or something more concentrated," she said.
• Election workers left the building for about three hours while the incident was investigated, returning at about 1:45pm yesterday, Watkins said.
• No workers reported becoming ill, she added.

Meanwhile, in Spokane, the white powdery substance discovered by election workers also tested positive for fentanyl, KXLY reported.

• At the Pierce County elections office in Tacoma, it appears the substance was baking powder, according to police cited in a KING 5 report.
• Workers at the elections office in Skagit County also were evacuated after finding an unknown powder, the Secretary of State's office said.

What they're saying: "These incidents are acts of terrorism to threaten our elections," Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said in a news release.

What we're watching: Whether authorities determine the incidents are connected and who might be behind them.