The U.S. Department of Justice has charged former Utah postal worker Damon Matai Seei with discarding approximately 300 mail-in ballots ahead of the state's June 2026 primary. Seei, who pleaded not guilty, allegedly dumped the ballots in a church parking lot dumpster to lighten his workload. The case highlights ongoing national tensions over mail-in voting security, as Utah relies heavily on mail ballots while the Trump administration intensifies federal election integrity enforcement.
Utah postal worker ballot disposal
- ▪Damon Matai Seei allegedly separated approximately 300 mail-in ballots intended for Eagle Mountain, Utah voters from other mail within 90 minutes of starting his shift on June 3, 2026, and did not deliver any of them
- ▪The approximately 300 mail-in ballots that Damon Matai Seei allegedly discarded in a church parking lot dumpster were intended for voters in Eagle Mountain, Utah, ahead of the state's June 23, 2026 primary election
- ▪Former U.S. Postal Service letter carrier Damon Matai Seei allegedly discarded approximately 300 mail-in ballots and other mail in a church parking lot dumpster in Eagle Mountain, Utah, on June 3, 2026
Seei's stated motive
- ▪Damon Matai Seei told investigators that he had no political agenda or motive when discarding the approximately 300 mail-in ballots he was delivering as a USPS letter carrier ahead of Utah's June 23, 2026 primary in Eagle Mountain, Utah
- ▪Damon Matai Seei stated to investigators that he threw away the mail he was delivering as a USPS letter carrier in Eagle Mountain, Utah, on June 3, 2026, out of frustration and laziness to lighten his workload and return home earlier
Federal mail destruction charges
- ▪A federal grand jury indicted Damon Matai Seei on September 16, 2026, on one count of unlawful secretion, destruction, and delay of mail
- ▪The federal investigation into the approximately 300 mail-in ballots discarded by Damon Matai Seei in Eagle Mountain, Utah was conducted jointly by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations
Court proceedings arraignment
- ▪Damon Matai Seei was arrested on September 22, 2026, and pleaded not guilty during his arraignment at the Orrin G. Hatch U.S. Courthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah
- ▪Damon Matai Seei's next federal court appearance is scheduled for November 30, 2026
- ▪Federal prosecutors requested that Damon Matai Seei be released under conditions including reporting to a pretrial officer, surrendering his passport, and not interfering with mail delivery
DOJ election integrity enforcement
- ▪The Department of Justice has charged 70 voter-fraud-related cases during President Donald Trump's second term, including five voting-related cases earlier in September 2026
- ▪The Department of Justice Civil Rights Division is restructuring its election monitoring program with a new emphasis on ballot security and staffing it with newly hired conservative personnel
- ▪Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter announced the charges against Damon Matai Seei for unlawful secretion, destruction and delay of mail as part of a broader Department of Justice effort to protect election and ballot integrity
Utah mail-in voting context
- ▪Approximately 95% of voters in Utah cast their ballots by mail, while nationwide nearly one-third of voters use mail-in ballots
- ▪Utah Governor Spencer Cox stated in September 2026 that the state's mail-in ballot system has tremendous security measures in place and is continuously adding more
- ▪The U.S. Supreme Court in September 2026 rejected attempts by President Donald Trump's administration to impose new Postal Service rules restricting mail-in voting for the midterm elections
Debatable claims
- ▪Mail-in voting is secure enough for widespread use
- ▪The Department of Justice should prioritize prosecuting individual voter fraud cases
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