[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6266303,"mediaKeyId","3087237-414e4ab5704d1d73912f035687cd8bc9","parentId",3087237,"title","Erie County Board approves two polling location changes ahead of primary","audioSeconds",131,"startMs",270000,"endMs",401000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3087237-414e4ab5704d1d73912f035687cd8bc9&start=270&end=401","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3087237-414e4ab5704d1d73912f035687cd8bc9/thumbnail_270000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6266303/Erie-County/Pennsylvania/Erie-County-Board-approves-two-polling-location-changes-ahead-of-primary","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6266303-703c443d879630c9f2d31da683f750a8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771053465&Signature=CiO3q2cDKXNcnTShPf2tYmB~-cYwI50Cy86jp5fQ3RkkBL1-MNS8UZCPsC3qoANJv8k~0~FQNPMquQCXv6OaVQQh7B-XAMojPc1ovyxRpIDdjZAVz0imIUuSqdC687fyxDgXhsK1yD9rf9MHGf3pqo~q4TvvNAHXcNvZGEYb0pVsU4AydCF1T4AvWgPjVwm7RUVV81hKMn2r4TxF3l0302PqKHia-6JLf5TUZb~1oOclOgYEePvI6pO5YIf~wkDigFgVPH5IQeF52FlCbE1~iF6y54c1BZMj0Rv0LIc8XBqZrvpqVQ22-YnzOB0dcb-jvk7WuG8MPgHCzGqOMRFUOw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-23T00:39:26.643Z","article","The Erie County Board of Elections on April 17 approved two official polling-location changes ahead of the 2025 municipal primary. The board approved moving Mill Creek 4 from Curry Hall on Kelso Drive to the gymnasium at Erie Community College on West Eighth Street and approved an address update for the Union Township polling place; the Union Township location remains the township building at the revised address.

Board members discussed the Mill Creek 4 move at length. Staff said a water main break at the prior Curry Hall site created recurring accessibility and recovery problems, and the change now appears to be permanent. A board member expressed concern that the new Erie Community College location would be about a mile from the prior site on Sixth Street and that the walkability for some voters could be limited; staff replied that the warehouse manager is reviewing polling locations and will continue to seek the most accessible location within the district.

A board member made the motion to approve the Mill Creek location change and the motion passed during roll-call; the Union Township address change was also moved and approved. Staff said they will continue to evaluate polling places within each district with an eye toward accessibility.

Ending: Both polling-place changes were approved and will be reflected on official ballots; staff will continue searching for accessible, district-based locations for future elections.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","April 17, 2025 Board of Elections Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Erie County Board of Elections on April 17 approved moving Mill Creek 4 polling location to Erie Community College and updated the Union Township polling address.","taxTitle","Erie County, Pennsylvania","taxId",2937,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6266307,"Erie County Board of Elections tables purchase of smart ballot drop boxes after debate over privacy and chain of custody",1781,497000,2278000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3087237-414e4ab5704d1d73912f035687cd8bc9&start=497&end=2278","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3087237-414e4ab5704d1d73912f035687cd8bc9/thumbnail_497000.jpg","/articles/6266307/Erie-County/Pennsylvania/Erie-County-Board-of-Elections-tables-purchase-of-smart-ballot-drop-boxes-after-debate-over-privacy-and-chain-of-custody","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6266307-a1ab570a48cfea60469be5d72a98d3d4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771053465&Signature=LSZRiEOzpdxj0KqU11u0pMWJFIKqcbxtigxWMKXGyTjSoNk4fyZ5s46gaTpLpQmy1~~OUaDA-D6SjxjDl7DQObUOzOk1xPhiOaY5UoNgPSpNMtnjpKkXTHAb~Z9OPQSN4fD-mA6P6Q-K-QRYO0UM6XOQLFVd79GRpPuxQU~1dJQQ81avcXwL-sWXjhPhYQhe6X-T1Y0y0G3RRtEjhTeEWKYK4zpqzTeUnsjOWDg36-~aRZWZn8-noilVST3~VwDvh23GYbgSe9leZYmayKWNdgfQQLZe0SkVLuR2qBzrHOuG44sY19goKM1NMp94KKFWL-Ic9BiYz9SDx9tF0HV1Dw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Erie County Board of Elections on April 17 voted to table Resolution 3 of 2025, a proposal to purchase Sentinel smart mail ballot drop boxes from Runback Collection Services, after an extended discussion about privacy, chain of custody and how designated-agent forms would be handled. The motion to table carried 3 to 1.

The resolution would have authorized four indoor “smart” ballot drop boxes that take a photo of the person depositing material and scan the inserted paper, and would have connected to a courthouse dashboard showing box fill levels. Gary, elections staff, described the system as “a smart ballot box” and said the county has a working relationship with Runback Collection Services; he said the boxes would be “a secure fireproof box that just allows papers to be inserted” and that “on our dashboard, we'll have the picture of the person putting the ballot in.” He said the vendor estimated a 16-week build time for Erie County and listed a cost of $12,500 per unit plus roughly $2,500 per year in maintenance and warranty costs.

Board members and speakers raised several operational concerns. A resident who spoke during public comment asked the elections office to consider accessibility and the impact of recent state-level proposals that would tighten registration documentation requirements, saying some voters may lack passports or birth certificates. During the box discussion, several board members and commenters pressed staff on how the system would handle multiple envelopes deposited by one person, how the boxes would link a designated-agent form to a specific ballot, and whether the system would automatically flag potential problems. Gary said images and a scan of the inserted paper would be captured and stored on the dashboard, but that the box does not run facial recognition or automatically reject items. “We'd have to review every picture,” he said; the board discussed doing targeted or random reviews or creating a local policy to check images when boxes are emptied.

Staff said that physically set-aside ballots would still be returned to the courthouse, processed through the existing sorting machine and subject to the county's current chain-of-custody procedures. Tanya, elections staff, said designated-agent forms would be kept and set aside and that right-to-know requests for those forms have been honored in the past. Gary said the boxes would provide an additional option for returning mail ballots in outlying areas but would not replace existing options.

Supporters said the boxes add security features and give voters an additional return option; opponents said the changes warrant broader public education and more time for review. Board members noted the purchase would also require county council action and potentially a waiver of the purchasing code because the vendor was presented as a sole-source provider.

Because of timing from the vendor, staff said the county would need to act promptly to meet a September deployment target; the board opted to table the resolution and revisit it at a later meeting. The tabled motion carried 3–1.

Ending: The board did not adopt Resolution 3; members instructed staff to continue researching and to provide additional information for future consideration, including vendor security documentation and suggested public-education steps.","The Erie County Board of Elections on April 17 voted to table Resolution 3 of 2025, a proposal to purchase Sentinel smart mail ballot drop boxes from Runback Collection Services, after an extended discussion about privacy, chain of custody and how designated-agent forms would be handled.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6266298,"Erie County Elections office reports mail‑ballot totals, equipment upgrades and updates on federal court case",34,2386000,2420000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3087237-414e4ab5704d1d73912f035687cd8bc9&start=2386&end=2420","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3087237-414e4ab5704d1d73912f035687cd8bc9/thumbnail_2386000.jpg","/articles/6266298/Erie-County/Pennsylvania/Erie-County-Elections-office-reports-mailballot-totals-equipment-upgrades-and-updates-on-federal-court-case","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6266298-07b9cb12cb8a553d879b08260bd32940/orig.mp4?Expires=1771053465&Signature=R4W3j8vrPlk~SuKC6FKU0rABnEfPp0pI-e4nDUvmthnmlgaYKNrTVuWXIZ15ES6FHK8fNjm9jgdgoAlrdhSxdlIavFdpmhoua6i6HhXQuCBt9KsfqhsNVh7poiuvRSdE0hYqUe~z3KYe3dc9WtPV6U2tJt~qMGPDj8TmqrckSA5llksAuQGbaxJR3m1xnNEykxo56ZT6EDbRlgXjvQZV-o3gnyGUjnABg25OhrNFi5FpcEPa64PlfXSg5akVNuiOMgrUs-1jro0IOZfELlcwuAcYd-KrV1wIr345MWbowOy0V2c-KR7blVhGVyOLBt1hAXml3KvvwGsxgu15cXYOBA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Elections staff told the Erie County Board of Elections on April 17 that the last day to register to vote before the primary is May 5 and that the last day to apply for a mail‑in or absentee ballot is May 13. On‑demand (early in‑person) voting is scheduled to begin on April 21.

Staff reported 16,429 mail‑ballot and absentee requests to date: 12,544 from Democratic voters and 3,935 from Republican voters. Staff said the county’s Dominion voting machines received an on‑site upgrade to the manufacturer’s latest software and printing options; the machines are not connected to the internet and were updated by Dominion technicians.

Staff also updated the board on a pending federal court case involving whether the date on a mailed ballot envelope is legally required. According to the materials distributed to the board, U.S. District Judge Baxter for the Western District of Pennsylvania ruled in favor of plaintiffs, finding that the dating requirement under the Pennsylvania Election Code is unnecessary to determine whether a mailed ballot is valid; that decision was appealed by the Republican Party to the U.S. Court of Appeals, and the case remains pending.

Ending: Staff closed the report by confirming testing of voting equipment had been completed and by restating calendar dates for the primary process; board members had no further questions.","Elections staff reported key dates for the 2025 municipal primary, current mail‑ballot request counts by party, upgrades to Dominion equipment, and an update on litigation over dating requirements for mailed ballots.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Erie County Board approves two polling location changes ahead of primary

Erie County Board of Elections tables purchase of smart ballot drop boxes after debate over privacy and chain of custody

Erie County Elections office reports mail‑ballot totals, equipment upgrades and updates on federal court case