Residents praise, condemn Lebanon Co. Commissioners' ballot drop box elimination decision
Residents voiced their concerns weeks after a majority of the Lebanon County Commissioners vote to eliminate the courthouse ballot drop box before the 2024 presidential primary.
Lebanon resident Pam Tricamo told commissioners she was "deeply disappointed" in the decision to remove the box without an alternative method in place. Addressing concerns about accessibility for residents, Tricamo asked if the commissioners would consider leaving the box in place for the elderly and handicapped residents.
"In a county as small as ours with something that is used by thousands of people, to eliminate it without giving us any heads up and an opportunity to issue our opinions about it, I just don't think that is the right way to go about it," she said.
In a 2-1 vote on Jan. 18, Republican incumbent Commissioners Bob Phillips and Michael Kuhn voted to remove the box where voters could turn in their mail-in ballots. Both commissioners have said that the removal of the box was about voter integrity.
The former ballot drop box was located behind the Lebanon County Courthouse near a security entrance. The box had a surveillance camera mounted to the top, and in April 2021 Phillips and then Commissioner William Ames voted to limit access to the box to regular business hours.
Only eight county residents attended the commissioners meeting Thursday, Feb. 1, with a majority either condemning or praising the vote to eliminate the drop box.
Rachel Moyer, A Republican primary candidate for state representative for the 102nd Legislative District, was one of three residents that praised Kuhn and Phillips' vote at Thursday's meeting.
"I appreciate you all standing up for the law, and getting rid of the drop box," she said. "A no excuse mail-in ballots are just that. A no excuse to have a mail-in ballot, not a drop ballot."
Lebanon County’s Bureau of Registration and Elections office received about 27% of mail-in ballots from the drop box, according to elections director Sean Drasher. The county is estimating it will send out more than 16,000 mail-in ballots for the April primary.
There are no "free range" mail-in ballots that are distributed, Drasher said after the meeting. Mail-in ballots that are sent out by the elections office have been specifically requested by registered voters.
"Ballots are screened ahead of time before they are sent to people, so there are no extra ballots," he said. "When they come in, they are checked against the voter record. It's all tracked using barcodes and unique identifiers."
The last day to register to vote in the presidential primary is April 8, and the last day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot is April 16.
After the meeting, Phillips told the Lebanon Daily News that he would not retract or reverse his vote to eliminate the ballot drop box.
"We can't compromise on safety and security for convivence," he said.
On Tuesday, Jan. 30, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt stopped by the Lebanon Community Library and spoke about the use of poll boxes in Pennsylvania. Schmidt said he is not familiar with any cases in the commonwealth where tampering has occurred with ballot drop boxes.
"Anecdotally, you hear things all the time," he said. "But I've anecdotally heard any number of things about elections, especially in Philadelphia, which is my home, which has no basis in fact."
The secretary added that his department strongly encourages all county officials to use whatever resources are available to them to make sure eligible voters can request, receive and return their ballots.
"It's really up to the county how they choose to do that," he said. "The counties know their voters certainly better than the Department of State − or anyone in Harrisburg for that matter."
Election integrity: PA secretary of state in Lebanon to talk about ballot boxes and the need for poll workers
The residents who came to the meeting Thursday showed a passion and concerned for elections being fair but also held with integrity, Kuhn said to the Lebanon Daily News.
"We have a mail-in ballot system that has its flaws, and we're trying to take steps to ensure integrity," he said. "That's the most important thing to me, but also try to find ways that we can make it convenient for people, especially those with a disability."
Election officials have said they are working with county commissioners on options to collect mail-in ballots without the drop box. However, no proposals were introduced in Thursday's commissioner meeting.
Primary Election Info
The Pennsylvania 2024 Presidential Primary is scheduled for April 23. The last day to register to vote is April 8. The last day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot is April 16.
Residents looking for more information can visit the Lebanon County Voter Registration Office website at http://www.lebcounty.org/depts/Voter_Registration or contact them by phone at 717-228-4428.
Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on Twitter at @DAMattToth.
This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Ballot drop box elimination gains praise, concern from Lebanon residents
