It seems every election season brings fresh controversy over mail-in voting, and this time, it’s happening in California. Jay Senese, a resident of Sierra Madre, made a shocking discovery while doing yard work near his home last Saturday. As he was cleaning debris from a storm drain, he found nearly a dozen mail-in ballots—just sitting there, mixed in with junk mail. Senese’s find, first reported by ABC 7, has sparked concerns over election security and once again put mail-in voting under the spotlight.
Senese, who was doing routine yard work, was surprised when he saw something unusual in the storm drain outside his house. As he began pulling out what he thought was just trash, he found the ballots, all addressed to residents of nearby Arcadia, California. “I pulled out a bunch of junk mail—Ralphs ads and Aldi coupons—and these ballots were mixed in with the junk mail,” Senese told ABC 7. “Of course, they caught my attention because we’re seeing on TV about all the care being taken to prevent fraud and misuse of ballots. It seemed a strange place for ballots to be.”
You can't make this up
A California voter in Los Angeles County found a dozen 2024 election mail-in ballots in his storm drain.
I refuse to believe California is a real place ???? pic.twitter.com/PPeKUh6JN8
— George (@BehizyTweets) October 18, 2024
And he’s right—it is a strange place for ballots. The discovery has left many questioning how secure mail-in voting really is, especially when ballots can wind up in storm drains. Conservatives have long been sounding the alarm over the mishandling of ballots, and stories like Senese’s add fuel to the fire. While Democrats continue to argue that mail-in voting is safe and effective, incidents like this one only heighten fears of potential fraud or tampering.
Senese’s own theory? Someone likely rifled through mailboxes in the neighborhood, grabbed what they wanted, and discarded the rest, including these ballots. “I’m one of these people who’s gotten almost everything paperless now. I don’t get a lot of personal mail,” Senese said, noting how the ballots stood out among the junk mail.
The LA County Registrar has responded by reminding voters that they can request a replacement ballot if theirs is lost or stolen, but here’s the catch: you only get one replacement. With the growing scrutiny around mail-in ballots and how they’re handled, it’s clear this latest discovery won’t be the last in the ongoing debate over election security.