The controversy surrounding ballot drop boxes has reached a pivotal swing state, prompting election officials to eliminate them for the upcoming November election due to concerns about “illegal activities” associated with the boxes. In Luzerne County, which includes Wilkes-Barre and is located southwest of Scranton, Pennsylvania, officials have decided to remove ballot drop boxes this year. County Manager Romilda Crocamo explained to a local ABC affiliate that both financial constraints and security concerns influenced the decision to discontinue their use.
“While I recognize that drop boxes can provide alternative means for voters to cast their ballots, I must prioritize the safety and security of our community in the current political climate,” she said in a statement to WNEP. “We don’t have the capability, we don’t have the number of staff members to actually stand by the drop boxes to keep them safe, so I decided I’m not going to deploy them.”
Other states have employed video cameras to monitor ballot drop boxes, but Crocamo criticized this approach, stating that it’s not a reliable method for distinguishing between legitimate and potentially fraudulent ballots. She explained that video surveillance does not provide a “foolproof means of ensuring compliance with voting laws.” As a result, Luzerne County will now require voters to mail their ballots directly to the Bureau of Elections or drop them off at the bureau’s headquarters.
“Mail-in Ballots come in from a dropbox; we have to have two staff also do a chain of custody, so actually, it does drain a lot of our resources,” added Crocamo. “The insurance policy on the drop boxes also has a $10,000 limit, which exposes the county to financial risk should a problem arise.” According to the local outlet, as expected, some voters approved of the change while others didn’t.
“It’s a waste of resources; we have 186 precincts along with mail-in ballots, which the postal service is going to be overladen with, to have the drop boxes in place; there really isn’t a purpose for them,” said Ronald Knapp of Nanticoke. Roni Good of Kingston disagreed, telling the outlet, “If they’re not gonna have drop boxes, what are we going to do about our mail system. I know people whose votes didn’t get counted because they were late.”
Pennsylvania is emerging as the critical battleground where every vote will be crucial. According to a new poll reported by The Hill on Thursday, Trump and Harris are tied at 49% each, with Trump holding slim leads in the traditionally Democratic states of Michigan and Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Harris is facing growing skepticism within her own party; U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) inadvertently predicted on live TV that Trump will win his state of Pennsylvania.
