Mail-in ballots dumped in trash
Former Utah Postal Carrier Indicted For Discarding Hundreds Of Ballots
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The indictment charges Seei with unlawful secretion, destruction and delay of mail. He was indicted on Sept. 16, the indictment was later unsealed, and his next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 30.
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Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson said the complaints about missing ballots appeared concentrated in state House District 50, helping investigators identify the affected area through county voting data.
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Prosecutors allege Seei discarded mail shortly after his shift began, and that the ballots were clearly marked as ballots and he knew what they were when he threw them away.
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U.S. Attorney for Utah Melissa Holyoak said, “Seei betrayed the public’s trust when he allegedly threw hundreds of ballots in the trash,” adding that the voters’ right to vote was effectively thrown away with the ballots.
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Officials placed the case in a broader national context: most Utah voters cast ballots by mail, while nationwide nearly one-third of voters use mail-in ballots. The reports also noted that the Supreme Court had recently rejected President Donald Trump’s proposed Postal Service rules restricting mail voting.
A former U.S. Postal Service carrier in Utah has been indicted for allegedly dumping more than 300 mail-in ballots into a church parking lot dumpster on June 3, just before the state's primary election News Nation. Damon Matai Seei, 34, discarded the ballots meant for Eagle Mountain residents to reduce his workload, not for political reasons, according to federal prosecutors Fox News. The discovery came after over 300 residents reported missing ballots and officials noticed unusually low voter turnout in one district.
U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak said Seei "betrayed the public's trust when he allegedly threw hundreds of ballots in the trash." The indictment charges him with unlawful secretion, destruction, and delay of mail Huff Post. Seei was arraigned in federal court and is presumed innocent; his next court date is November 30.
How Investigators Spotted the Missing Ballots
Election officials first noticed something wrong when Eagle Mountain voters began reporting they never received their ballots Economic Times. Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson discovered the complaints clustered heavily in state House District 50, a clear sign of a localized problem Fox News. This geographic concentration helped federal investigators narrow down which postal routes were affected and identify Seei's route as the source.
Voting participation in the affected area dropped unusually low, raising red flags for election workers. Investigators found the discarded ballots in a dumpster at a church parking lot after focusing on Seei's delivery zone.
Seei Knew He Was Throwing Away Ballots
Federal prosecutors allege that Seei discarded the mail shortly after his shift began on June 3 News Nation. The ballots were clearly marked as election mail and Seei knew exactly what he was throwing away when he placed them in the trash Mixvale. Authorities say his motive was purely personal: he wanted to lighten his workload that day, not to influence the election.
Election Mail Tampering Raises National Concerns
This case highlights how vulnerable mail voting has become across the country. In Utah, most voters cast ballots by mail, while nearly one-third of all U.S. voters rely on mail-in ballots Economic Times. The incident underscores the trust voters place in postal workers to deliver ballots safely and on time.
The Supreme Court recently rejected President Donald Trump's proposed rules that would have restricted mail voting options Economic Times. That decision came just as this case exposed a real failure in the mail ballot system—one postal worker's laziness put hundreds of voters at risk of losing their voice in the election.
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