Mail stolen from a Daly City post office reportedly included San Mateo County mail-in ballots, county election officials announced Thursday, Oct. 15.

The division said it learned of the theft on Wednesday, Oct. 14, according to a statement from the San Mateo County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder's Office. The number of ballots potentially affected has not been determined.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating, according to the county. The Elections Division said it is working with the United States Postal Service on the matter.

The theft comes less than three weeks before the Nov. 3 general election. The county expected ballot packages to begin arriving that week for most of its more than 447,000 registered voters, according to a separate county elections announcement from Oct. 5.

How to check your ballot

The county urged voters to track their ballots through the California Secretary of State's free "Where's My Ballot" service. The tool sends notifications when a ballot is mailed, received and processed.

Voters who believe their ballot may have been affected can request a replacement online or in person at any Vote Center. Online replacement requests must be submitted by Tuesday, Oct. 27, to allow time for mailing.

Safeguards against fraud

The Elections Division said its ballot security procedures tie each mail ballot to an individual voter, preventing duplicate ballots from being counted for the same person.

Where to vote or drop off a ballot

Three Vote Centers are open now:

  • Registration & Elections Division, 40 Tower Road, San Mateo
  • Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, 555 County Center, Redwood City
  • South San Francisco Public Library, 901 Civic Campus Way, South San Francisco

"For the convenience of our residents, San Mateo County voters may visit any of our three Vote Centers currently open to cast their ballot in person or return their completed Vote by Mail ballot during the early voting period," Chief Elections Officer Mark Church said in the Oct. 5 announcement. The county also has 57 official ballot drop boxes across the county.

Seven more centers open Saturday, Oct. 24. Another 36 open Saturday, Oct. 31, and four more open Monday, Nov. 2, bringing the total to 50 by Election Day. The three centers already open operate 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays through Nov. 2. Vote Centers will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Additional centers offer weekend voting; check the county’s location lookup for individual schedules.

In-person drop-offs at Vote Centers and drop boxes are accepted until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by Nov. 10. The county advised voters mailing ballots close to Nov. 3 to take them to a post office counter and request a hand postmark, because ballots placed in a mailbox on Election Day may not receive a same-day postmark.

Voters with questions can contact the Elections Division at 650-312-5222 or [email protected].