Innocuous material found in envelope addressed to NE secretary

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office reported a suspicious envelope at its elections division headquarters Monday and advised county elections officials to remain cautious.

The suspicious envelope was discovered by office staff Monday morning and was quarantined in a separate area of ​​the office pending support from the Nebraska State Patrol. NSP, with assistance from Lincoln Fire Rescue and the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, tested a substance inside the envelope and found it to be harmless.

Officials turn envelopes over to FBI and U.S. Postal Service authorities further investigation. No one was injured.

The elections department has notified county election offices across the state to be on the lookout for suspicious mail and take extra precautions.

“Thanks to the quick actions of our staff, law enforcement and other first responders, the situation was resolved quickly and safely,” Secretary of State Bob Evening said in a statement.

Similar incidents occurred Monday in Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming. State officials said testing determined that none of the packages posed a risk to the public.

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers also warned local election officials on Friday to be vigilant and said law enforcement would be watching closely to help investigate potential misconduct.

“One of our most important responsibilities is to protect the integrity of our specific elections,” Hilgers said. “We will work together and if we find a problem we will investigate and if appropriate we will prosecute.”

Hilgers made the comments as he announced a statewide investigation into alleged “irregularities” in the signature-gathering process for two ballot measures. At least one Grand Island man has been arrested in connection with the investigation so far.

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