Old photo of election envelopes misrepresented as trashed 2026 California ballots
- Published on June 10, 2026 at 22:25
- 2 min read
- By Bill MCCARTHY, AFP USA
Conservative influencers are claiming an image shows ballots for California's June 2, 2026 primary elections discarded in a Sonoma Valley dumpster, but this is false. In fact, the photo shows empty ballot return envelopes from a 2018 election -- not marked ballots -- that were being recycled in 2020 after being retained for 22 months in accordance with the state's laws.
"These ballots were found in a dumpster in Sonoma Valley, California. Nothing to see here," says text over the image posted June 8, 2026 on Facebook.
The post was shared by right-wing commentator Benny Johnson, whom AFP has repeatedly fact-checked for spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories, including about elections.
Similar posts populated across Facebook and other platforms, including Instagram and X, amid a flood of false claims about the June 2 primary elections in heavily Democratic California that US President Donald Trump has insisted without evidence were rigged.
A Trump-appointed federal prosecutor has said he would examine the administration of the vote, which was headlined by a race for governor that saw Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton advance, as well as a contest for mayor of Los Angeles topped by incumbent Karen Bass and left-leaning challenger Nithya Raman.
But the photo spreading online is several years old -- and it does not show ballots.
AFP traced the visual to September 2020, when it was falsely claimed to show trashed votes ahead of the presidential election later won by Joe Biden. In posts on social media, the County of Sonoma said at the time that "the pictures are of old empty envelopes from the November 2018 election that were disposed of as allowed by law" (archived here and here).
The Sonoma County Registrar of Voters Office confirmed those origins in a June 10, 2026 statement to AFP.
"The image is of old empty envelopes from the November 2018 election that we took to a recycling center," the office said. "There is no evidence that ballots in the current primary have been discarded. And the image isn't of ballots being discarded; as stated then and now, the image is of old empty ballot return envelopes that were being recycled."
On June 2, voters in the county cast ballots in primaries for a mix of federal, state and local races (archived here).
According to California election law, ballots and other materials related to federal elections must be preserved for 22 months, after which they can be destroyed or recycled unless needed for an ongoing investigation such as a criminal prosecution (archived here).
The Sonoma County registrar's office said they no longer recycle their materials, now opting to shred them using a secure shredding service.
The county's voters can sign up for ballot tracking online or check the status of their vote on the county's or California secretary of state's websites.
AFP has debunked other misinformation about the California primary here.
Marisha Goldhamer contributed reporting to this fact-check.
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