A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier in Utah has been charged after allegedly discarding more than 300 mail ballots intended for the state's June primary. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter announced on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, that 34-year-old Damon Matai Seei was arrested and appeared in federal court in Salt Lake City for arraignment. Seei entered a plea of not guilty during the proceedings.
Prosecutors stated that Seei was assigned to deliver mail in Eagle Mountain, Utah, when he allegedly placed the ballots and other mail into a dumpster in a church parking lot. According to Melissa Holyoak, the U.S. Attorney for Utah, the incident occurred within 90 minutes of the start of Seei's shift. Holyoak noted that Seei did not deliver a single ballot he was assigned that day. The Justice Department reported that Seei admitted in an interview that he discarded the mail to lighten his workload and return home earlier.
Holyoak stated that Seei told authorities there was no political agenda behind his actions. McCotter said during a news conference that the right of citizens to have their votes counted is vital to determining the winner of an election. The investigation into the matter is ongoing.
This case affects approximately 300 residents of Eagle Mountain, Utah, who were the intended recipients of these primary ballots. In Utah, mail-in voting is the primary method used by the electorate, and nationwide, nearly one-third of voters utilize mail-in systems.
Voters in affected districts would notice a complete absence of their primary ballots in their mailboxes, potentially missing deadlines to cast a vote if the disposal went undetected. The incident occurred amid broader national debates over USPS procedures and mail-in security. Earlier in September 2026, the Supreme Court declined to allow Trump administration rules that would have added restrictions to mail-in ballots. Many states had argued such changes would disrupt election systems just before the November midterm elections.
The immediate next step is the continuation of the federal investigation and the scheduling of further court dates following Seei's not guilty plea. U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche has stated that the administration will comply with the Supreme Court's recent ruling regarding postal regulations. As the November midterms approach, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox stated the state continues to add security measures to its mail-in system. Specific dates for Seei's next court appearance have not yet been reported.