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Berks County commissioners discuss election drop boxes: county details security and cites staffing limits
Summary
Commissioners discussed the timing, security and staffing of mail/drop-box operations for absentee ballots, noting boxes open Oct. 21 and describing 24/7 video, dual-lock procedures and sheriff staffing during open hours; staff said earlier openings are constrained by manpower.
At the Oct. 10 meeting, Commissioner Christian Leinbach outlined the county’s procedures and timeline for absentee/mail ballot drop boxes and suggested the county consider opening them earlier in future election cycles.
Leinbach told the board that the county’s drop-box schedule is posted at berkspa.com and that for the current cycle the boxes would not open until Oct. 21. He said the county considered starting them earlier because mail volumes are higher in this cycle: ‘‘When we only had 4 to 5,000 ballots coming back… it’s just not a big deal. In 2020, we had 81,000. The first batch of mail-in ballots went out, I believe, last week. 32,000 of those ballots,’’ he said, arguing that the county might tie drop-box openings to the first mailings in the future.
Leinbach also described security procedures the county has put in place: 24/7 video surveillance of drop-box locations; locked access to the rear of each box with two different locks and two keys (one held by the sheriff’s department and one by election staff); a morning check form to confirm no ballots remain before opening the slot; end-of-day signed counts of ballots removed; and sheriff deputies stationed at each of the county’s three drop boxes during open hours. He emphasized that ‘‘drop boxes are not polling places… they are an extension of the Berks County election office.’’
Chief Operations Officer Kevin Barnhart responded that the county’s ability to open drop boxes earlier has typically been limited by staffing: ‘‘Typically been a staffing issue, whether we have the manpower to actually then start earlier with the drop boxes…’’ he said, noting that staffing is required to pick up and secure ballots during and after the day’s open hours.
The comments were presented as part of commissioner reports; no formal vote or policy change on drop-box timing was adopted during the meeting.
Next steps: Leinbach suggested the board consider whether the county should align drop-box openings with initial mailings in future elections; any change would require operational planning and staffing adjustments by county election officials.
