Mail-in ballots from Las Vegas neighborhood found in road miles away, I-Team prompts investigation

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Questions from the I-Team to the U.S. Postal Service about mail-in ballots found on the side of the road have sparked an investigation, the agency confirmed.

Russell Layton was riding his bike through the Northwest Valley last week when he came across 10 ballots left on a road near Lone Mountain.

“It seemed really odd to me,” Layton told the I-Team. “I just happened to see a bunch of mail in the road and it happened to be mail-in ballots.” 

The ten unopened ballots were left in a bike lane, unaccompanied by other mail, Layton said.

“It was a concern and it was a bit confusing, too,” Layton said. 

The ballots have addresses on Fort Apache, Chieftain and Hammer – a neighborhood about 2 miles away from where Layton found them.

“I looked at them and noticed what they were and knew they were important and needed to be taken care of,” Layton said.  

While on the same ride, Layton dropped the ballots off at a mailbox, hoping they would journey on to their intended destination. 

“Hopefully they got them,” Layton said. 

Inspectors from the Postal Service told the I-Team they believe a thief took the ballots from a neighborhood delivery box. The inspectors add it is likely the thief was looking for checks or credit cards and tossed the other mail. 

“Hopefully I did my civic duty,” Layton said, adding if one of the ballots were his, he would want someone to do the same. “I knew I wouldn’t want my ballot to be on the side of the road. I’d want to get it in the mail and I thought it would only be fair for them to get theirs in the mail, too.” 

Elections officials in Clark County stress if you find a ballot that is not yours, you should call 702-455-VOTE. Inspectors planned to be in the neighborhood Wednesday to try to solve how the ballots ended up 2 miles away — in a ditch. 

It is almost impossible to vote with a mail-in ballot that is not yours, elections officials said. Software determines whether the voter’s signature matches the signature on file from multiple sources, like voter registration or even a driver’s license. If the machine rejects the ballot, election workers take a look. If two workers decide the signatures do not match, they are advised to contact the voter.

If you find a ballot or have questions about voting in Clark County call 702-455-VOTE.