Bins of stolen mail dumped outside a Grocery Outlet in Morgan Hill on Monday turned out to contain more than just bills and birthday cards. Tucked inside were roughly two dozen sealed vote-by-mail envelopes, which Santa Clara County officials say were ultimately verified and counted.
County elections staff told reporters the ballots were still sealed inside their return sleeves when they arrived, and that each one went through the standard signature check before being accepted. Federal postal investigators, meanwhile, fired off an alert and are still trying to track down whoever swiped the mail in the first place.
According to NBC Bay Area, postal inspectors discovered multiple bins of stolen mail outside the Morgan Hill discount grocer and found the ballots mixed in. The unopened return envelopes were rushed straight to the county Registrar of Voters.
“It was about 29 ballots,” Matt Moreles of the Santa Clara County Registrar told NBC Bay Area. He said each ballot was still sealed inside its return envelope, which allowed staff to run signature verification and confirm the votes before adding them to the tally. Inspector Matthew Norfleet told the station that mail thieves are usually hunting for checks and other financial items and sometimes scoop up election mail along the way. He added that the Postal Inspection Service is continuing to search for suspects.
How recovered ballots were processed
The Santa Clara County Registrar’s office followed its regular process for verifying and counting vote-by-mail envelopes, and the quick handoff from postal inspectors meant those steps could happen without delay.
According to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, every envelope is checked against the voter’s signature on file before it is accepted. The office also offers online tracking tools so voters can see whether their ballot has been received and review information about any signature-cure notices.
County officials say that because the stolen envelopes were returned unopened and intact, they could be folded into the official count without any special exceptions or workarounds.
What to do if your mail or ballot is missing
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service cautions people not to leave outgoing mail sitting in public collection boxes overnight and to pick up delivered mail promptly to cut down on theft risk. That advice applies to everything from checks to election mail.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service outlines how to report stolen mail and how to protect sensitive deliveries, including using USPS hold services or signature confirmation for important items.
If you suspect your ballot was intercepted, you are advised to file a report with postal inspectors and contact your county elections office to confirm whether your ballot was received or to ask about a replacement or other available remedies.
Investigations, timeline and what it means for voters
Investigators told NBC Bay Area they are still hunting for the thieves and believe the stolen mail may have been taken from either a blue collection box or a community mailbox. The Postal Inspection Service urged anyone who expected mail between Sunday night and Monday morning to double-check with banks, businesses and loved ones to see whether anything went missing, the station reported.
On the election side of things, California’s Secretary of State notes that counties have a statutory window to process and count vote-by-mail ballots. Voters are encouraged to rely on county tracking tools while officials complete the canvass, according to the California Secretary of State.
