Ballot drop boxes set to be installed
‘Stay calm and vote,’ executive McClure assures residents
Northampton County officials announced Monday they have started sending out mail-in ballots for the upcoming general election and four drop boxes will be in place by Thursday.
Given the concerns about the U.S. Postal Service and ongoing health risks of the coronavirus pandemic, the county will make make one drop off box available in each County Council district, County Executive Lamont McClure said at a news conference. These boxes will provide an alternate method for mail-in voters to deliver their ballots to the county. Mail-in ballots can still be sent through the mail or hand-delivered to the election office at the Northampton County Courthouse.
Because of the controversy surrounding the election process this year, McClure said it was important to enable voters to cast a ballot by whatever method they feel most comfortable. The drop boxes, which will be located in secure government buildings, will be just one of the methods available. Some 315 machines will be available at 154 voting precincts for those who prefer to vote on a county voting machine.
“Stay calm and vote. We’ve got this for you. Your vote will count. Your vote will matter,” McClure said.
Northampton County had a single drop box in the June primary and will add three more, McClure said. Starting Thursday, voters can find them at:
Bethlehem City Hall, 10 E. Church St., Bethlehem from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays
Northampton County Courthouse, 669 Washington St., Easton from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays
Northampton County Human Services Building, 2801 Emrick Boulevard, Bethlehem Township from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays
Northampton County 911 Center, 100 Gracedale Ave., Upper Nazareth Township from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m Mondays through Fridays
The drop boxes will be out in the open, secured to their host buildings and under video surveillance at all times, McClure said. Sheriff deputies will empty them at least once a day and drop off the ballots at the county courthouse, he said. Personnel will keep a paper record of their collections.
Director of Administration Charles Dertinger noted that these boxes are only for Northampton County voters. Lehigh County voters should not use them, even though Bethlehem is split between the two counties. Lehigh County announced last week it will install five of its owndrop boxes in the near future.
Mail-in ballots have become the latest front in the election battle in Pennsylvania, a pivotal swing state that election observers say could decide the presidential race. President Donald Trump and his campaign have made unfounded claims that the increased use of mail-in ballots will result in widespread fraud. Meanwhile, Democrats have embraced the mail-in ballots as a way to let people vote safely during the pandemic. In the midst of the political wrangling, the Postal Services has warned that cuts in its service could delay deliveries, harming voter’s confidence that their mail-in ballots will be counted.
McClure said county officials are not overly concerned with the post office delays. So far, county mailings have not been significantly impacted, and he accused Trump and leaders of the postal service of trying to erode voter confidence in mail-in ballots. But he said people should vote by whatever method they feel most comfortable, he said.
“Everyone has a drop box at the end of their driveway,” he said.
With a little more than a month to go before Election Day, some 63,000 voters in Northampton County have requested mail-in and absentee ballot, Chief Registrar Amy Cozze said. Cozze had estimated Northampton County would see 100,000 ballot requests, but backed off that figure Monday, saying the amount of requests has slowed down in recent weeks.