Nearly 100 stolen ballots to decide the fate of the congressional redistricting measure, Proposition 50, were found this week scattered throughout a homeless encampment in Sacramento County, officials said, sparking an investigation.
The ballots for the November special election were found among a large amount of mail and other debris discovered by Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies Wednesday. The unused ballots were likely stolen from the mailboxes of voters in Sacramento, according to authorities.
The California ballot measure would change congressional district boundaries and likely shift five more seats to Democrats in the U.S House of Representatives. The measure was drafted in response to a redistricting plan in Texas that was meant to give Republicans five additional seats in the house in hopes of protecting the GOP majority.
On Thursday, county officials said the ballots have been voided and new ballots were mailed to affected residents, but an investigation is still ongoing as to how the stolen ballots and mail were found in the makeshift camp.
Deputies discovered the trashed mail near Elder Creek and Mayhew Roads in Sacramento County while conducting a cleanup of a reported homeless encampment, officials said. Officials said the camp was vacant when deputies arrived, and no arrests have been made.
Deputies there collected the mail and secured the ballots, according to a statement from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
The ballots were then taken to the county’s Department of Voter Registration and Elections.
In a statement, county officials said a total of 99 ballots were recovered.
The ballots appeared to have been taken primarily from residents in the south Sacramento area along Gerber Road, between Tiogawoods Drive and Elk Grove Florin Road, officials said.
Earlier this month, another 135 ballots were believed to have been stolen from mailboxes in nearby Yolo County.
The ballots were among several other pieces of mail that were stolen, officials there said in a statement.
Thirty damaged ballots were recovered, and county officials said replacements would be mailed out. Voters affected by the other 105 missing ballots were to be contacted to confirm whether they received their ballots.
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