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Luzerne County residents urge reinstatement of ballot drop boxes as board defers to county administration
Summary
At a Sept. 18 meeting of the Luzerne County Board of Elections and Registration, residents overwhelmingly urged the board to restore ballot drop boxes the county manager removed; the board approved polling locations and a bylaw change and heard assurances staff is addressing registration processing but could not provide exact backlog figures during the meeting.
Luzerne County residents and election officials met Sept. 18 as the Board of Elections and Registration approved polling-place locations for the Nov. 5 general election, heard a status update on a provisional-envelope variance request to the Pennsylvania Department of State, and fielded more than two hours of public comment largely focused on the county administration's decision to remove ballot drop boxes.
Many speakers urged the board to reverse the county manager's action. Former deputy election staff, election workers and dozens of voters described drop boxes as secure, regularly monitored and essential for voters with limited mobility, demanding their reinstatement. Beth Gilbert, a former deputy director of elections, told the board that Luzerne County’s drop boxes "have always been secure" and described surveillance, sheriff collection and strict chain-of-custody procedures in place.
Opponents of the drop-box program cited safety and security concerns. Some residents raised longstanding questions about past local election…
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