Holes in Ventura County ballot envelopes: rigging or design?

What's being said

Ahead of the November 3, 2026, election, posts shared photos of Ventura County mail ballot return envelopes with a small hole punched through them. The posts claim the hole is proof the election is being rigged, for example by letting someone see how a ballot is marked before it is counted.

What's known

• The California Secretary of State's office addressed the same kind of hole in a 2025 statement: "The small holes on ballot envelopes are an accessibility feature to allow sight-impaired voters to orient themselves to where they are required to sign the envelope."
• The same statement says the Secretary of State's office does not print, review or approve county ballot envelopes, and encourages counties to use the Center for Civic Design's ballot design resources.
• The Ventura County Clerk-Recorder's elections FAQ says the holes also let election workers confirm an envelope is empty after the ballot is taken out.
• Ventura County Registrar of Voters Michelle Ascencion told the AP that this election's ballot has three double-sided cards, about 50 contests and 187 ballot types, so there is no standard way a ballot sits folded inside the envelope.

What's unverified

The posts do not cite any audit, court filing or election official showing that the holes have been used to view, sort or change ballots. We found no official finding of that kind.

What would settle it

Evidence that envelope holes were used to read or alter specific ballots, documented by election officials, an audit or a court. Questions about a specific envelope can go to the Ventura County Clerk-Recorder's elections division.