During the course of every Election, workers sift through and open hundreds of thousands of envelopes containing the Early Ballots that voters return.

Last year, a number of suspicious envelopes were sent to election offices in the presidential battlegrounds of Georgia and Nevada, as well as California, Oregon, and Washington, with some being intercepted before they arrived. Four of the letters contained fentanyl, according to the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Fentanyl, an opioid that can be 50 times as powerful as the same amount of heroin, is driving an overdose crisis deadlier than any the U.S. has ever seen as it is pressed into pills or mixed into other drugs. Seeking to educate and protect our Election Workers ahead of this year's Elections, Recorder Dana Lewis, working with Pinal County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Ross Teeple, has ensured staff are properly trained in what to look for when opening envelopes - and in the worst-case scenario - how to administer Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose in an emergency. The Sheriff's Office has also provided Narcan to the Elections Office ahead of the 2024 Elections.