Dangerous substances discovered in Sandoval County election mail have prompted safety measures and highlighted existing safeguards in Bernalillo County.
Last Friday, fentanyl and methamphetamine were discovered in election mail at Sandoval County’s election warehouse, prompting an emergency response and raising questions about worker safety.
Two K-9 units alerted officials to potentially dangerous substances in the mail, and initial testing confirmed the presence of fentanyl and methamphetamine. County Chief Deputy Clerk Joey Dominguez said their emergency preparations were effective.
“The team just executed it phenomenally,” Dominguez said.
No workers were harmed, but Dominguez estimated that about 200 ballots were affected, though the exact number has not been confirmed. The ballots remain secured as officials await clearance to handle them safely.
“We want to count every single individual’s ballot. And as soon as we get the confirmation it’s safe to do so, we plan to do that,” Dominguez said.
The incident tested Sandoval County’s emergency response plan. Meanwhile, Bernalillo County election officials emphasized their own safeguards for handling similar threats.
Inside Bernalillo County’s election warehouse, workers are processing thousands of absentee ballots. Bureau of Elections Administrator Nathan Jaramillo explained that the county uses technology to screen incoming mail for illicit substances before workers handle it.
“We have technology in place, sensors that will identify or detect any sort of illicit substance. So that’s always a safeguard in place,” Jaramillo said.
If the sensors detect something suspicious, the county has procedures to respond.
“We have great relationships with a lot of our local emergency responders and reporting. So if something were to be identified, we can quickly have them dispatched and quarantine those particular ballots to be handled properly from there,” Jaramillo said.
Jaramillo added that the county also prepares for physical threats, cyberattacks, and suspicious election mail. Workers are trained in safe mail-handling procedures and use protective equipment.
Despite the incident in Sandoval County, Jaramillo said Bernalillo County will continue following its existing security protocols as more ballots arrive ahead of Election Day.
“At the end of the day, the integrity of ballots is secured. The integrity of the election is secured,” Jaramillo said.
