Jun 4, 2022 3 min read

Lack of security and consistency with mail-in ballot voting drop boxes prove they threaten election integrity. Drop boxes are our least secure way of voting and should be eliminated.

Drop boxes were never authorized by the Pennsylvania General Assembly under Act 77, no excuse mail-in voting law, and instead was a creation of the state Supreme Court during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the court provided no guidelines governing their use. What the court intended as a temporary solution due to the COVID-19 pandemic has become a permanent one.

As a result, counties have instituted their own procedures, leaving many voters confused as to why there is no consensus on handling drop boxes throughout the commonwealth.

Prior to the 2020 election, the Department of State (DOS) attempted to pressure elected officials to provide drop boxes. The recommendation from the DOS to Washington County was to place drop boxes in higher populated municipalities and every district magisterial court in the county. We did not execute their plan because of the lack of security and the high probability of voter fraud.

Counties have varied numbers of drop boxes and levels of security to monitor them. I’m proud to say that Washington County has had voters solely returning their mail-in ballots directly to an employee in our election office.

Ballot stuffing, the act of depositing anyone’s ballot that isn’t your own into a drop box without written permission, is a crime punishable by a second-degree misdemeanor, and conviction can carry a two-year prison sentence and a $5,000 fine under current law. Ballot stuffing is the subject of the recent documentary, “2000 Mules,” which includes suspicious drop box activity in Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania First Lady Frances Wolf submitted both her and her husband’s ballot to a drop box, which the governor called an “honest mistake.” Even Gov. Tom Wolf admitted last year that Frances Wolf returned his mail-in ballot for him, thus breaking state law.

Eliminating unsecured ballot drop boxes will not negatively impact voter access. The Pennsylvania State Senate Republican Caucus estimates that there are more than 10,000 publicly available locations across the Commonwealth that voters can use to return their ballots.

Eliminating drop boxes will allow for a more secure election and add integrity to the process. This is an excellent first step the Legislature can take toward much-needed election reforms.

Nick Sherman is a Washington County commissioner.