How Centre County seeks to increase ballot drop boxes for the November general election
The November general election is less than 50 days away, and Centre County government is working to ensure voters can cast their votes safely by increasing ballot return and collection efforts.
The Centre County Board of Elections presented a comprehensive plan Thursday that aims to make voting more accessible, decrease the wait time for in-person voting, provide voters with a safe option during the COVID-19 pandemic and ease worries over potential delays with the United States Postal Service.
The plan, which was approved by the board of elections in a 2-1 vote, proposes the installation of seven secure ballot return sites, a potential satellite elections office at the Bryce Jordan Center and free rides to individuals 60 and older who would like to return their ballots to a certified county drop box.
The plan must be submitted to and approved by the Pennsylvania Department of State before being carried out by Centre County officials.
Commissioners Michael Pipe and Mark Higgins voted in favor of the proposal, leaving Commissioner and Elections Board Chairman Steve Dershem in opposition.
“In a democracy, you want everyone to have the ability to vote in the easiest and legal way possible,” Higgins said. “I’m for democracy; I would like our citizens to be able to vote by whatever methods are legal in the state of Pennsylvania.”
Despite voicing support for the drop box stationed outside of the Willowbank Building last month, Dershem opposed the plan — citing concerns with the number of secure ballot return sites and potential legal ramifications.
“Traditionally, Centre County has been relatively free of issues in regard to voter fraud. I can remember a couple of instances where there had been double-voting,” Dershem said. “But of the concerns I have in regard to this conversation, it is an untried process. We’re inside 50 days from the election, and I just want to make sure that we do this right.”
But the guidance outlined in the proposal resembles procedures used in the June primary election — just on a bigger scale.
What is a secure ballot return site or drop box?
A secure ballot return site — a drop box — was used in the Pennsylvania primary election. The metal box, which was monitored 24 hours a day by video surveillance and in the view of sheriff deputies during business hours, was emptied twice per day. Voters were sent an email notification when their ballot was received and when it was counted by the Centre County Office of Elections and Voter Registration.
“Out of the 19,000 ballots that were cast by vote-by-mail, 2,000 of them were deposited into the secure ballot drop box in front of the Willowbank,” Pipe said.
A postage stamp is not needed to return a ballot to a drop box.
Where will the drop boxes be located?
For the November general election, Centre County plans to use the drop box outside of the Willowbank — 420 Holmes St. in Bellefonte — and proposed the purchase of seven additional drop boxes to be placed at the following locations:
Patton Township Municipal Building, 100 Patton Plaza in State College
Ferguson Township Municipal Building, 3147 Research Drive in State College
State College Municipal Building, 243 S. Allen St.
Spring Township Municipal Building, 1309 Blanchard St. in Bellefonte
Magisterial District Office 49-3-03, 118 Enterprise Drive in Philipsburg
Magisterial District Office 49-3-04, 2795 Earlystown Road in Centre Hall
HUB-Robeson Center, on the Penn State campus
Most boxes would be available 24-hours a day, but those placed indoors would be available from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
The county board of elections would use a county-owned vehicle to serve as a mobile secure ballot return site for areas of the county not covered by the metal boxes. The vehicle will have a camera mounted and securely fashioned in its rear opening to monitor the return and collection process.
The mobile option would further enable voters to participate in the democratic process, according to the plan.
How will ballot drop boxes be made safe?
Pipe said every drop box will be monitored by video surveillance or an internal camera. When installed, the boxes will be mounted to the ground or wall to prevent unauthorized removal.
The ballot deposit slot will not open more than one inch as to not allow tampering or removal of envelopes.
On Election Day and on the final days leading up to to the election, the hours for drop boxes might be expanded. The county elections board also plans to work with staff, poll workers and volunteers to set up hours of operation on evenings and weekends to “enable maximum flexibility and convenience” for voters, according to the plan.
All drop boxes will have the same features, design, color scheme and will be accompanied by signage to ensure identification. Each box will also have a metal flap that allows voters to return their own ballot. Once deposited, ballots cannot be retrieved by anyone other than elections personnel.
After all contents are removed from the drop box on Election Day, a “defeater bar” will be installed into the slot. The bar will prevent anyone from inserting materials inside.
“That will make sure that we don’t have any ballots getting in there after hours, and people are claiming that their ballots were in there on time,” Pipe said.
Those collecting ballots in the boxes must sign a certification and document their duties.
A photo of the empty drop box with the bar installed will be taken for extra precaution, Pipe said. The photo will then be sent to the elections office with documentation of the drop box location.
How will mail-in ballots be counted?
A secure ballot box will be used to pick up and transport ballots to county elections staff who will count them in the general election.
When ballots arrive at the elections office, Pipe said a “one-way street” will be implemented — meaning that nothing is being picked up from the office, only dropped off.
Once ballots arrive at the elections office, officials remove the padlock from the secure collection box. Each ballot has a unique bar code that is scanned and documented by personnel, who also verify signatures on each ballot. The ballots will then be sorted alphabetically by last name by precinct.
When will the drop boxes be available to use?
Pipe expects the boxes will be delivered by Oct. 1. Once installed, they will be tested before voters deposit their ballots inside.
Registered voters may apply for a mail-in ballot by Oct. 27, but Pipe does not expect ballots to be received by voters until Sept. 29, 30 or Oct. 1.
“There’s the certification, the testing we do here — at the Willowbank — the printing, the mailing and then, the voter getting the ballot and then returning it,” Pipe said. “I think we’re in very good shape. It’s not as if we’re going to have ballots out there before these drop boxes are installed.”
At the earliest, the drop boxes could be functional by Oct. 2.
