San Francisco residents have taken to social media with photos of torn or crumpled outer envelopes on the mailed ballots sent out this month for the November 3 election. Mission Local collected images from over a dozen voters across the city, as well as from several of its own employees, showing tears along the side of the envelope. While some tears are minor, others are more pronounced.

Election officials explain the cause

John Arntz, director of the San Francisco Department of Elections, confirmed that the department is aware of the reports. “Some envelopes experienced these issues when moving through equipment at the United States Postal Service,” Arntz said. He added that the USPS observed the problem and switched to manual processing for the remaining packets.

A USPS spokesperson declined to comment further at the time of publication.

Does the damage affect the vote?

Arntz emphasized that the condition of the exterior envelope does not impact whether the ballots are usable. “As long as the four ballot cards and the return envelope are unaffected, voters can vote those ballots and return them to the Department. All voted ballots will be counted,” he said.

The Department of Elections issued a guidance notice urging voters who receive torn envelopes to check that all four ballot cards, the return envelope, and the instruction insert are present and intact. If any of those items are missing or damaged, voters should contact the department for a replacement.

Why the envelopes may be more vulnerable this year

The 2026 ballot is larger than in previous years, reflecting San Francisco’s extensive list of measures and candidates. The department has not yet determined why the mechanical issue arose now rather than in earlier cycles. It is also unclear how many of the city’s 535,787 mailed ballots were processed before the USPS identified the problem and moved to manual handling.

What voters should do

Voters who receive a torn envelope should:

• Open the envelope carefully and verify that all four ballot cards are present.
• Confirm the return envelope and the instruction insert are included.
• If any component is missing or appears damaged, call the Department of Elections at the number provided on the website for a replacement ballot.

Election officials reassure the public that the integrity of the vote remains intact despite the envelope issue. As the city moves toward the November election, the department will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as new information becomes available.

Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.