The San Francisco Department of Elections sent out a notice Wednesday after receiving several reports of voters getting torn ballot envelopes in the mail for the upcoming November election.
The department said it is aware that some voters have received ballot packets with the outside envelope torn. Voters whose packet envelopes are torn should inspect their ballot cards inside for any damage.
Mail-in ballot packets should include four ballot cards, a ballot return envelope, and an insert with voting instructions. Tears on the outside envelope do not affect a voter’s ability to use their ballots as long as all four ballot cards and the ballot return envelope are intact, the department said.
The reports so far indicate that the tears are limited to the exterior mailing envelope, not the inside contents.
“If all four ballot cards and the ballot return envelope are intact, voters can mark their ballots and return them using the ballot return envelope provided,” the department said in an email.
The U.S. Postal Service told the department that some envelopes were torn as they moved through its processing equipment. USPS has now switched to manual processing for the remaining vote-by-mail packets.
The department is continuing coordination with USPS to monitor future ballot packet mailings.
Voters who need a replacement ballot or have questions about their packet can contact the department by calling 415-558-6100, emailing sfvote@sfgov.org, or visiting the online Voter Portal.
“We thank voters for their attentiveness and for bringing this issue to our attention,” the department said.
