A batch of Santa Clara County ballots found discarded in a mountain ravine will be counted toward the Nov. 8 election results, officials confirmed Wednesday.
The 36 ballots were found in Santa Cruz County on Nov. 11 near Sugarloaf Road off Highway 17 and both the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters and the United States Postal Service are investigating how they ended up there. The incident comes as voters across the county eagerly await the results of key races that will have major implications for the future of the region.
Of the 36 ballots that were found discarded, 31 will be counted toward results, since a handful of the envelopes had been opened already and one did not have an acceptable signature.
“I am glad that we were able to recover these ballots and that the majority of them can be counted and included in the final election results, which we will certify on schedule on December 8,” said the Registrar of Voters Shannon Bushey. “This was a very unfortunate incident. I appreciate the USPS for working with us to get us the ballots as quickly as possible on behalf of the voters.”
A spokesperson for the registrar Michael Borja said in a statement earlier this week that there was “no indication” that any ballots were taken from a vote center or ballot box and it “appears” they went missing while in possession of the postal service before being delivered to the registrar. The discarded ballots were also found along with other non-election mail. Affected voters told the Bay Area News Group they were “very, very surprised” to learn what had happened to their ballots.
According to U.S. Postal Inspector spokesperson Jeff Fitch, postal officials in Washington D.C. are aware of the incident. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is also involved.
