Mail Carrier Charged With Withholding Political Mail
A Sacramento-area postal worker is accused of holding more than 1,000 pieces of campaign mail ahead of California's November 3 general election.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Elections
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Antoine Rashad Polite, 35, a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier in Sacramento County, has been charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office with delaying and obstructing delivery of U.S. mail. Postal managers found roughly 493 pieces of political mail in an undeliverable bulk business area and another 527 pieces in containers and his assigned vehicle.
Why it matters
The case involves campaign mail tied to candidates and ballot propositions on California's November 3 general election ballot, raising concerns about voters receiving information before election day. Most of the withheld mail has since been delivered to intended addresses.
Polite faces charges for delaying and obstructing U.S. mail, which carry a maximum of six months and one year in prison, respectively. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California.
The players
Antoine Rashad Polite
A 35-year-old former letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Sacramento County who has been charged in connection with the withheld mail.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California
The federal prosecutor's office handling the charges against Polite, responsible for federal criminal cases in the district covering Sacramento.
The details
Polite allegedly withheld political mail rather than delivering it to residents between September 23 and October 27, 2025. Investigators found the withheld mail after postal managers discovered it in an area designated for undeliverable bulk business mail.
Timeline
September 23, 2025: Period of alleged withholding of political mail begins.
October 27, 2025: Period of alleged withholding ends.
November 3, 2025: California general election for which the mail was intended.
Election Mail Integrity
The charges apply federal mail-obstruction statutes, which set penalties of up to one year for delaying or destroying mail and six months for obstruction, to a case involving campaign materials before a statewide vote. The case tests how existing postal crime laws protect the delivery of political communications during an election cycle.
Voters who expected campaign mailers before the November 3 election may have received fewer materials than intended in the affected Sacramento-area route. The federal case shows that undelivered political mail is treated as a federal crime, which affects how residents should expect to receive election information.
The takeaway
Residents who did not receive expected campaign mail before the November 3 election can check their registration and voting information through official county election offices. Keeping track of ballot materials directly with election officials helps confirm that information arrived.
Further reading
Explore more on Elections coverage for context on how mail-in and campaign materials reach voters.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CBS News.
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