The ballot had been dropped inside the lobby of the post office at 4304 18th St. — less than two miles from the destination. How it traveled to Gilroy points to a theft either at the facility or somewhere early in the mail stream, not at the delivery end.

The Department of Elections notified the voter directly, which residents commenting on the post called an unexpected and welcome step. Under California law, voters whose ballots are lost or compromised can cast a provisional ballot in person at City Hall's Department of Elections, located at 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place.

Residents in several comments described ongoing mail theft from street-level blue collection boxes, lobby drops inside post offices, and mail trucks — with losses spanning multiple neighborhoods. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has federal jurisdiction over mail theft; USPS did not respond to a request for comment before publication.

The Elections Department has not issued a public statement on how many ballots may have been affected by mail theft during this election cycle. Whether the recovered ballot was counted, or whether the envelope seal was intact, was not addressed in the voter notification shared online.

Voters who received a similar notice, or who have not seen their ballot status update in the state's tracker at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov, can contact the Department of Elections at (415) 554-4375 or appear in person before polls close. The provisional ballot deadline aligns with Election Day.