{"id":492063,"date":"2026-10-11T00:30:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T00:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/492063\/"},"modified":"2026-10-11T00:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T00:30:11","slug":"sacramento-mail-theft-sparks-fears-stolen-ballots-could-keep-voters-from-voting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/492063\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacramento mail theft sparks fears stolen ballots could keep voters from voting"},"content":{"rendered":"

A brazen broad-daylight mail heist<\/a> in Sacramento has sparked election fears after officials revealed that ballots may have been swept up in the theft just as voting day approaches.<\/p>\n

The fast grab unfolded around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in the College Glen neighborhood, where surveillance footage captured a man pulling up in a gray SUV, popping open a postal truck<\/a>\u2019s rear compartment and making off with trays of mail.<\/p>\n

A witness at a nearby home watched the theft unfold<\/a>, authorities said.<\/p>\n

Officials say the theft happened Tuesday this week around 2:30 p.m.\u00a0in Sacramento\u2019s College Glen neighborhood. KCRA<\/p>\n

U.S. Postal Inspector Jonathan Lanning said there \u201cmay have been\u201d ballots taken in the theft. KCRA<\/p>\n

Now, investigators are scrambling to determine whether election ballots were among the stolen mail.<\/p>\n

US Postal Inspector Jonathan Lanning confirmed that ballots may have been caught up in the heist.<\/p>\n

\u201cMail was stolen, and there may have been ballots affected by the theft,\u201d Lanning told KCRA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The theft comes as Sacramento County had just mailed out ballots with Election Day fast approaching \u2014 raising concerns that some voters could be left waiting for their chance to cast a ballot.<\/p>\n

Local resident Mary Brown told KCRA she never received a scheduled USPS delivery that was supposed to include ballots for her great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n

\u201cI looked at my informed mail, and it was supposed to have my great-grandchildren\u2019s ballot,\u201d Brown said. \u201cIt was mailed. It should\u2019ve been in my mailbox that day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown feels panicked because she didn\u2019t know whether her descendants would be able to vote. KCRA<\/p>\n

Sacramento County elections office employee Ken Casparis told KCRA that any person who does not receive their ballots can request replacements. KCRA<\/p>\n

Brown only learned about the theft through a neighborhood app, leaving her unsure whether the ballots had been snatched along with the other mail.<\/p>\n

The uncertainty left her worried that her great-grandchildren could miss their chance to vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was panicked because they weren\u2019t going to be able to vote,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n

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But election officials say voters whose ballots never arrive have options.<\/p>\n

Sacramento County elections office employee Ken Casparis told KCRA that anyone who does not receive their ballot can request a replacement by contacting the office.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can contact our office to request a replacement ballot,\u201d Casparis said. \u201cYou can do that either by phone or email. And we\u2019ll go ahead and reissue your ballot for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The county will only count the first ballot it receives with the voter\u2019s valid signature, he said.<\/p>\n

Postal investigators are urging voters to track their ballots through the California Secretary of State\u2019s website and stay alert for missing mail as the investigation continues.<\/p>\n

The US Postal Inspection Service is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the theft.<\/p>\n

Anyone with information is asked to call postal inspectors at 1-877-876-2455.<\/p>\n

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