The Dutchess County Board of Elections closed for three hours Monday while law enforcement authorities were called to examine a suspicious package from an "unknown foreign sender" that county HAZMAT determined contained mathamphetamine, or crystal meth, commissioners said.

The "malicious" package arrived via UPS, and commissioners soon contacted law enforcement, according to a Dutchess County Board of Elections statement.

Wearing masks and gloves, emergency management and HAZMAT personnel closed the building to the public, turned off its HVAC system and removed the substance for testing, according to the board, adding that no staff members experienced symptoms.

Election workers set up a table outdoors to assist voters seeking services ahead of Election Day.

"The cowards that sent this dangerous substance to our office failed in disrupting a single voter’s right to vote or harm any of our hardworking staff members,” the county’s Democratic Elections Commissioner Hannah Black said.

Members of the FBI, New York State Police, Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, Dutchess County Emergency Management, city of Poughkeepsie Fire Department and New York State Board of Elections responded to the incident. The FBI, State Police and county sheriff’s office detectives are investigating.

"I join my colleague Commissioner Black in commending our staff and am deeply appreciative of all law enforcement, the City of Poughkeepsie FD and emergency personnel that were critical in assisting us through this stressful and dangerous ordeal,” Republican county Elections Commissioner Erik Haight said.

The state Board of Elections in Albany recently received mail containing a suspicious substance, the board said, in what appears to be part of a pattern of potentially threatening mail being sent to elections offices in other states.