Thousands of SF mail-in ballots damaged by machine before being sent out

Thousands of vote-by-mail ballots in San Francisco have arrived at residents’ doorsteps with a long slit on the outer envelope this week, leading some community members to believe that they’ve been deliberately tampered with. However, after contacting the United States Postal Service, the city’s Department of Elections was able to figure out why, and has a much more mundane explanation for the ripped envelopes.    

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After receiving reports of the torn envelopes and contacting USPS, the department found that the machines packing the mail-in ballots caused the tears, and USPS has switched over to packing them manually, the city said in an Oct. 7 news release. If the four ballot cards and return envelope are intact, voters can still send them in for processing. 

Department of Elections Director John Arntz told SFGATE that the department began receiving notice of the torn envelopes on Monday, but officials aren’t concerned since only the outer envelopes were torn and not the four ballots and return envelope packed inside. Since then, thousands of ballots have been returned.

“The Department of Elections is aware that some voters have received vote-by-mail ballot packets with tears in the outer mailing envelopes,” the release said. “These tears do not affect voters’ ability to use their ballots as long as all four ballot cards and the ballot return envelope are intact.”

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“The Department continues to coordinate with USPS and monitor future ballot packet mailings,” it added. “We thank voters for their attentiveness and for bringing this issue to our attention. The Department remains committed to ensuring that every eligible voter has the materials and assistance needed to participate in the November 3 election.” 

In order for the ballots to be counted, voters must return them by election day on Nov. 3 either via mail or through drop-off ballot boxes.