East Bay mail thefts worry voters ahead of Election Day

BERKELEY, Calif. - The United States Postal Inspection Service says two crimes were committed against mail carriers in the same South Berkeley neighborhood, both in broad daylight and just hours apart. 

The trend of East Bay postal service robberies and burglaries has not slowed in recent years, and the mail thefts in Berkeley have community members worried about the security of their mail-in-ballots. 

The USPIS tells KTVU that a United States Postal Service worker was delivering mail near the 3100 block of King Street on Oct. 9 when their truck was burglarized. USPIS confirms mail was stolen from that truck. 

Within hours, another mail carrier was threatened with a weapon and robbed of their postal keys. 

"Those keys really only have one use if you’re not a letter carrier, and that’s to come back and steal mail. So we’re talking about two different methods of stealing mail in Berkeley happening on the same day,' said USPIS Postal Inspector Matthew Norfleet. The USPIS is offering a $100,000 reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to a conviction for mail theft in the Bay Area. 

Mail theft is a federal crime, but now that election season is here, mail theft can also cause a whole new slew of problems for voters.

"It’s something I’ve always been worried about: being able to trust if my ballot has made it. Especially hearing the burglaries…it’s alarming, but I guess I just have to have faith in the system," Aiden Baker told KTVU. Baker is a newly registered California voter, and she says she's excited to cast her ballot in the Golden State. 

California voters who registered ahead of time should have already received their ballots. Some people we spoke to near King Street say their ballots have already arrived. 

"I haven’t opened it yet, but I plan on doing that. Yeah no, they arrived I think at least a week or 10 days ago," Albert Lucero, a resident of King Street told KTVU.  

But that isn’t the case for everyone. Some folks who live nearby tell KTVU they still haven’t received their ballots, and other mail is also missing.

"I haven’t received my ballot yet, I’m waiting on it to come in the mail. It’s an absentee ballot. So I’m hoping that the postal system works for me and it gets here on time so I can participate," said Sara Ghebremichael. 

Since Ghebremichael is an out-of-town voter, she’s relying heavily on the mail system to ensure her voice is heard.

Some people KTVU spoke to are very comfortable with the vote-by-mail process, while others had some hesitations. 

"Yeah I usually send it in, I don’t track it actively though," said Kevin Cruse, an Oakland resident. 

Local election officials say to be cautious with your ballot, but ultimately the vote-by-mail system is safe. 

"Don’t give your ballot to anyone you wouldn’t trust with cash. Meaning you might not want to leave it on your doorstep in your mailbox or at the curb. Put it directly into a USPS mailbox," said Helen Nolan, the Assistant Registrar for Contra Costa Elections. "The beauty of the vote-by-mail ballot is that even if someone were to take the ballot, fill it out and sign it and send it in, we signature verify every single vote by mail envelope against the voter signature in our records. So unless that’s a match, we’re not gonna accept it. We’re gonna reject it."

Those who plan to drop their mail-in-ballots on election day at a USPS mailbox should also be sure to check the mail pickup times. Any ballots not picked up on that date will not be counted. 

If your California mail-in-ballot still hasn’t arrived, please reach out to your local registrar or visit the California Secretary of State website to track its status.