Mail-in ballots stolen from post office in California

San Mateo County election officials are warning voters to check the status of their mail-in ballots after mail was stolen from a Daly City post office. The stolen mail included an unknown number of San Mateo County Vote by Mail ballots (completed ballots being mailed back to the election office) mixed with other general mail.

The U.S. Postal Service said mail was taken from the loading dock of the post office on Sullivan Avenue in Daly City on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 16. Daly City is located just south of San Francisco.

The incident comes as voters had begun mailing their ballots ahead of the November election.

Daly City resident Mark Nobriga said the theft was particularly concerning with the election approaching.

“I think it’s terrible. I mean, people are relying on the post office to deliver all of the mail, but it’s, I think it’s crucial right now with the election coming up that the mail gets out for us,” Nobriga said.

Renae Ashton, a San Francisco resident and voter, expressed similar concerns.

“I think that’s potentially a problem, because it just means that our voice isn’t being heard,” Ashton said.

San Mateo County election officials said the theft should not deter residents from voting by mail.

“Unfortunately, mail theft does occur. From our perspective, voting by mail is very safe, and it is very convenient. And we hope that people will exercise their right to vote not only by mail, but you can also vote at a vote center,” San Mateo County Assistant Chief Elections Officer Jim Irizarry said.

San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa said one of the first things he plans to do when he takes office as the county’s chief elections officer in January is try to determine how to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“What we need to do is to make sure that people understand that there are consequences for taking mail, and there are consequences for taking ballots,” Canepa said.

Officials are encouraging voters to monitor the status of their mail-in ballot through the California Secretary of State’s ballot tracking service, “Where’s My Ballot.” The service provides notifications to voters when their ballot is mailed, received and processed by the county elections division.

Voters who are concerned that their ballots may have been affected by the theft may request a replacement ballot online or in person at any vote center in the county.

Online requests for a replacement ballot must be submitted by Oct. 27 to allow sufficient time for mailing.

“The Registration & Elections Division maintains established ballot security procedures to ensure that only one ballot per voter is counted,” the county said.

“Each Vote by Mail ballot is associated with an individual voter, and ballot processing safeguards prevent duplicate ballots from being counted for the same voter.”

No public information has been released about the exact method of the thieves (whether people grabbed bins by hand, used a vehicle, how long it took, etc.), whether the mail was unattended, what security was in place at the dock at the time, whether there is surveillance footage, or any description of suspects.

The official county statement and the news coverage (ABC7, KRON4, San Mateo Daily Journal, NBC Bay Area, SF Chronicle, etc.) all stop at the same basic facts: mail was stolen from the loading dock, it reportedly included ballots, the number is unknown, and the Postal Inspection Service is investigating. No further operational details have been made public.

Postal inspectors typically withhold specifics like camera footage, security protocols, or the precise circumstances while an investigation is open. As of the latest reporting, nothing more has been released on how or why the mail was accessible.

Compiled from ABC News 7, Mercury News, NY Post, and Grok.