California county discovers trove of unopened ballots from last election in a locked box

Fury as Humboldt County finds huge trove of uncounted ballots for controversial Prop 50 vote

On Wednesday — nearly six months after Humboldt County certified the Nov. 4, 2025, statewide special election — elections staff announced it had discovered 596 sealed ballots inside a locked drop box that should have been counted before certification, according to the county elections office.

Calif. county discovers hundreds of uncounted ballots from 2025 state redistricting election

The Humboldt County Office of Elections announced that staff found 596 uncounted ballots from the November 4, 2025, redistricting special election in California, according to a press release.

California county discovers trove of unopened ballots from last election in a locked box

The Humbolt County Office of Elections made an unnerving discovery Monday: a stack of 596 sealed ballots from the most recent election left at the bottom a locked voting drop box.

Oops: Ballots Found Uncounted in Locked Humboldt Drop Box

Nearly 600 sealed ballots from the November 2025 Special Election were discovered sitting uncounted in a locked Humboldt County drop box, prompting the elections office to apologize and overhaul its procedures — though officials say the outcome of the election won't change. Source