Residents urge more drop boxes and question bilingual mailings during board public comment

During the meeting's public-comment period, a resident identified as John Fry told the board he received two mail-in ballot applications in his packet — one English and one Spanish — and questioned why Spanish-language materials were being distributed. "When I received my application for mail in ballot, I found 2 applications in the envelope," Fry said, adding that he was concerned bilingual applications might enable illegal voting and asked why only Spanish was provided rather than a broader set of languages.

Another resident, Colin Doherty of Kingston, thanked the board for its handling of drop-box reviews and urged the board to consider adding more drop boxes across the county to improve access. "I would just really encourage this board to also add more drop boxes...I think if we have more drop boxes and more population centers...we would have higher turnout," Doherty said. Board members acknowledged the comments and discussed posting explanatory materials on the elections website and further outreach.