A masked suspect pulled trays of mail from a U.S. Postal Service vehicle in Sacramento's College Glen neighborhood Tuesday afternoon, and federal investigators say the haul may have included election ballots headed for delivery that day. Now a $100,000 reward is on the table as authorities try to track down who did it.
The theft happened around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 6, according to The Sacramento Bee. Surveillance video captured a gray SUV pulling alongside the postal vehicle before a masked person got out, opened its sliding door and removed trays of mail, as reported by KCRA. U.S. Postal Inspector Jonathan Lanning said mail was stolen and there may have been ballots affected by the theft, though he stopped short of confirming that ballots were actually taken.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is now offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible. Lanning has advised voters to take precautions to make sure their ballots are received securely this election season, the station's report notes.
What Voters Can Do Right Now
Lanning said voters who believe their ballot may have been stolen should request a replacement immediately from their county election office. Sacramento County residents who have not received their ballots can contact the county's election office to request a replacement by phone or email, per the same account.
Importantly, the county counts only the first ballot it receives with a valid signature matching the voter's record, so a lost or stolen ballot does not automatically disqualify a voter from casting one that counts. Postal inspectors are also encouraging residents to track their ballots through the California Secretary of State's website, which lets voters confirm when a ballot has been mailed and accepted by county election officials. The Postal Service's Informed Delivery tool, meanwhile, lets customers preview images of expected mail for the next few days, including ballots, according to the same report.
A Task Force Born From a Bigger Problem
This single incident lands against a backdrop of persistent mail theft trouble across Sacramento County. In March, District Attorney Thien Ho announced the formation of the Sacramento Mail Theft Task Force, calling the county one of the nation's hardest-hit areas for mail theft. The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office says the task force was built to increase coordination between its prosecutors, local law enforcement and the U.S. Postal Inspector.
The task force brings together the District Attorney's Office, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, the Rancho Cordova Police Department, and the U.S. Postal Service and its Postal Inspection Service. Ho has said mail theft has led to identity theft, financial fraud and delayed government assistance, particularly hurting seniors. The District Attorney's Office advises anyone who believes their mail was stolen to call police immediately and then contact Postal Inspectors at 1-877-876-2455, and says its assigned task force prosecutor helps expedite search warrants and pursue state charges without needing to meet a higher federal loss threshold.
An audit cited by Sacramento News & Review found lax security at some local post offices, with 129 cluster-mailbox master keys — almost 30% of the total — missing or never recorded at the Royal Oaks branch. The Fort Sutter office had 20% of its keys unaccounted for, while Rancho Cordova had just three keys in that status, the outlet reported. Cluster-mailbox break-ins have climbed dramatically in recent years, prompting the Postal Service to roll out Project Safe Delivery, including electronic cluster-mailbox locks, back in May 2023.
Election Mail Security Under a National Spotlight
The timing of the College Glen theft adds to a season of scrutiny over ballot handling nationwide. The Postal Service has said the security of political and election mail is a top priority during every election cycle, according to a statement from USPS. Elsewhere, a Utah postal worker was charged after allegedly throwing 300 mail-in ballots into a parking-lot dumpster shortly before that state's June 23 primary, as reported by NBC News. That worker, Damon Matai Seei, pleaded not guilty to a charge of destruction and delay of mail.
In Sacramento, investigators have not said whether the SUV or the masked person seen on surveillance video has been identified. For now, the message from postal inspectors is straightforward: check your ballot status online, watch your mail through Informed Delivery, and act fast if something seems off.
