Why Did a Utah Postal Worker Discard 300 Mail Ballots?

A 34-year-old former U.S. Postal Service worker in Utah has been charged with dumping roughly 300 mail-in ballots into a parking lot dumpster shortly before the state's June 23 primary election, the Justice Department said Tuesday. Damon Matai Seei pleaded not guilty to a single count of destruction and delay of mail, according to U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak for the District of Utah, NBC News reported.

What did the postal worker tell investigators?

Seei told investigators he had no political motive and that he threw out other mail along with the ballots, Holyoak said. According to a government memo cited by NBC News, he said he wanted to clear out advertisements to "lighten his workload" after feeling overwhelmed on the job.

"He claims he simply made a 'poor decision' out of 'frustration' and 'laziness,'" the memo said, according to NBC News.

Seei is no longer employed by the Postal Service, per the report.

What charge does he face, and where does the case stand?

Seei faces one federal count of destruction and delay of mail. He entered a not-guilty plea Tuesday, the same day Justice Department officials held a news conference in Washington to announce the charge, NBC News reported.

Were any voters unable to cast a ballot?

Holyoak said about 95% of Utah voters cast ballots by mail, but it was not yet clear how many of the roughly 300 discarded ballots belonged to voters who were ultimately able to vote another way, according to NBC News. Both Democratic and Republican primary contests were on the June 23 ballot.

How does this fit into the DOJ's election integrity push?

The announcement is part of a broader Justice Department effort to publicize what it calls "election integrity" work ahead of the 2026 midterms, when Republicans face a difficult electoral map, NBC News reported. Federal prosecutors have made voter fraud cases — which studies have found to be rare — a stated priority under President Donald Trump, who has repeated unsubstantiated claims of large-scale noncitizen voting and has pushed to restrict mail-in balloting. The Supreme Court last week declined to let Trump's mail-in voting restrictions take effect, according to NBC News. The Justice Department has brought 70 voter-fraud-related cases so far in Trump's second term, officials said, per the report.

Timeline of the case

• June 23, 2026 — Utah holds its statewide primary election; roughly 300 mail-in ballots are later found discarded in a dumpster near the delivery route.
• Undated — Seei is separated from his position with the U.S. Postal Service.
• Sept. 22, 2026 — DOJ announces the federal charge at a Washington news conference; Seei pleads not guilty to destruction and delay of mail.

The case adds to the Justice Department's public tally of election-related prosecutions as officials continue to highlight enforcement activity heading into the midterm cycle, NBC News reported.