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Amy Reichert Says She Found Ripped-Open Ballots Dumped in Downtown San Diego Lot

In a video posted on X, Reichert says ballots and other stolen mail were discarded in an abandoned downtown lot — days after the county began mailing ballots for the Nov. 3 election.

San Diego Newsline Staff · Wednesday, October 7, 2026

Amy Reichert, who posts on X as @amyforsandiego, says she found ripped-open ballots in a pile of discarded mail in an abandoned lot in downtown San Diego.

"Found stolen ballots ripped open in a pile of discarded mail pile in an abandoned lot in downtown San Diego yesterday," Reichert wrote in a post on X on Oct. 6. "Stolen mail has become a common occurrence for downtown San Diego residents."

The video attached to her post shows a pile of torn-open mail, including what appear to be vote-by-mail envelopes, in an overgrown lot littered with trash. The post did not give the lot's address. By Wednesday it had been viewed more than 9,500 times and shared more than 400 times. Reichert's account describes itself as "Exposing fraud. Naming names."

San Diego Newsline has not independently confirmed how the ballots got to the lot or whose they were. As of publication, we found no public response to the post from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, or the San Diego Police Department.

Ballots are in the mail now

The timing matters. The County of San Diego announced on Oct. 2 that every active registered voter would receive a ballot for the Nov. 3 General Election starting the week of Oct. 5, and that more than 150 official drop boxes would open Oct. 4. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and reach the Registrar within seven days after Election Day to count.

What voters can do

Voters who have not received their ballot, or who think theirs was stolen, can check its status through the California Secretary of State's free tracking service, Where's My Ballot, and can request a replacement ballot from the Registrar of Voters. The Registrar says signing and dating the return envelope is required for a ballot to count, and voters can avoid leaving ballots in mailboxes by using an official red, white and blue Registrar drop box.

Mail theft is a federal crime. It can be reported to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

If you have information about stolen mail or ballots downtown, send San Diego Newsline a tip.

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