Election commission approves planning for South Bethlehem and Northern Tier 'ballot on demand' locations

The Northampton County Election Commission voted to ask county administration to prepare plans for ballot-on-demand locations on South Side Bethlehem and in the county’s Northern Tier, after hours of discussion about turnout patterns, staffing, parking and fairness.

The motion approved by the commission directs county elections staff to present a specific plan and supporting data — including historical on-demand volumes, precinct origins of on-demand voters and proposed hours and staffing — at a special meeting or at the next regular meeting in August. Commissioners debated whether to authorize immediate implementation or to first receive a detailed plan; the commission ultimately approved the request that administration prepare and present plans for both a southern and a northern location and explain operational details.

What commissioners discussed and why it matters

Commissioners and staff repeatedly framed the proposal as an operational experiment intended to expand access and reduce long waits at the county elections office during high-turnout presidential years. Nicole, elections staff, said preliminary conversations with Lehigh University showed interest in hosting limited ballot-on-demand services where county staff would provide ballot-on-demand and voter registration for a published schedule. Nicole said such a site “would be open to not just Lehigh University students, but to the public. Any Northampton County voter could go to that location and vote ballot on demand.”

Commissioners raised operational concerns: parking near a university site, training and staffing, whether the service should mirror courthouse hours, and how to publicize the schedules to ensure the new locations are used. Commissioners asked for data on the 7,000 on-demand votes that the office reported during the prior presidential election, including the daily distribution and the precincts those voters came from, so the commission can judge whether a permanent satellite location is needed.

Staff described expected scope and limits

Chris Vargo, elections staff, said a ballot-on-demand site would offer only limited services: issuing mail-in ballots on demand and processing voter registrations during published hours. “It would be limited services, ballot on demand and you could register to vote,” Vargo said. He added the office would publish a schedule and that sites would not be open full-time; for the upcoming general election staff suggested a limited number of days rather than a full five-day schedule.

Motions, voting and implementation timeline

Commissioners initially considered a motion to move forward immediately; that motion received no second and died. A later motion to have administration prepare data and return with a plan was moved and seconded but failed on a subsequent vote. A final motion — asking administration to prepare plans for a South Side site and a Northern Tier site and to return with the requested data and implementation details — was moved, seconded and approved; the chair declared “the ayes have it” and directed staff to proceed with planning and a presentation to the commission.

Commissioners asked staff to return with the following information: historical daily volumes for on-demand voting (particularly the peak days that produced roughly 1,000 on-peak votes the office reported), precinct origins of on-demand voters, proposed hours and staffing plans, parking/access considerations at proposed sites, estimated costs and a communications plan (including language-access outreach) so voters know the locations and hours. Commissioners also asked that staff consider Northern Tier options such as Washington Township and existing Fowler Center or City Hall options in Bethlehem.

Ending

County elections staff said they will develop operational plans and return to the commission in August or at a special meeting with the requested data and proposed schedules; staff noted any implementation will be limited to the mail-in ballot window and will comply with applicable state guidance and labor agreements.