■ The Dutchess County Board of Elections in Poughkeepsie shut down for three hours on Oct. 7 after receiving a padded envelope sent by UPS from Europe with a piece of artwork and methamphetamine. The workers who opened the package were wearing protective gear, Commissioner Erik Haight told the Daily Freeman. He said the FBI warned boards of elections of potential threats earlier in the year.
■ Ulster County Board of Elections employees wear N-95 masks and latex gloves while processing mail after boards of elections in Georgia and on the West Coast received packages containing fentanyl, Commissioner Ashley Torres told the Daily Freeman on Oct. 9. “This is something I had never anticipated we would see happen when I started this work,” said Torres. The mail is opened in a closed conference room with the air conditioning turned off.
■ In Putnam County, Commissioner Cathy Croft told The Current there have been no incidents with suspicious mail. She said she and Commissioner Kelly Primavera open all mail and “scrutinize what we receive and who it is coming from.”
