San Mateo County ballot theft sparks more voter fraud concerns

Thieves stole mail-in ballots from a Bay Area post office, sparking fears of voter fraud after another ballot theft last week.

The San Mateo County Assessor’s Office said in a news release Thursday that it was informed that election forms were recently stolen from a U.S. Postal Service office in Daly City, including absentee ballots from San Mateo County voters.

The county, located just south of San Francisco, and the U.S. Postal Service are actively investigating the theft. It’s unclear how many ballots were stolen, the county said.

The county Division of Elections encouraged voters to monitor the status of their absentee ballots through the California Secretary of State’s website. If voters believe their ballot has been affected, they can request a replacement ballot online.

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

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

The incident comes about a week after a Sacramento County mail truck was struck by a thief.

Video of the broad daylight mail heist showed a man pulling up in a gray SUV and opening the truck’s rear compartment before fleeing with trays of mail.

U.S. Postal Inspector Jonathan Lanning confirmed that ballots may have been taken in the heist.

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The United States Postal Inspection Service is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator in this case.

Early mail voting in California for the November election is currently underway after ballots are mailed out on October 5. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Election Day to be counted.

The latest incidents have raised concerns about the security of mail-in ballots, particularly amid efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to restrict mail-in voting.

“People need to have confidence that their mail-in ballot will reach its intended destination, especially when it comes to something as fundamental as their right to vote,” San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa told the Palo Alto Daily Post.

“We need a full investigation, stronger mail protections and direct communication with the public. With the midterm elections approaching, we cannot afford to leave residents wondering if their ballots or other important mail is safe,” he added. “This is simply unacceptable.”