TORRANCE — California authorities are investigating why a man found passed out in a car had more than 300 unopened mail-in ballots for the gubernatorial recall election.

The man was arrested Aug. 16 after being found in a store parking lot in Torrance, police said.

Investigators with the Torrance police special investigations division, the U.S. Postal Service and Los Angeles County district attorney’s public integrity unit were trying to determine how the ballots ended up in the suspect’s vehicle and what his intent was in having them, police said in a Facebook statement Monday.

Sgt. Mark Ponegalek told KABC-TV that the ballots were unopened and had not been tampered with.

The man was a felon who had drugs, a loaded firearm, thousands of pieces of mail, a scale and multiple California driver licenses and credit cards in other people’s name, police said.

The man, whose name was not released, was arrested for investigation of weapons, narcotics and forgery violations.

Replacement ballots will be sent out, police said.