This letter to the editor was submitted to LebTown. Read our submission policy here.
Why are the two Republican Lebanon County Commissioners removing the county’s only secure ballot drop box, used by more than 3,000 voters during the last election?
The reasons they gave at their meeting make no sense.
They cited “election integrity” for their decision, but the drop box is secure. It is guarded by a deputy and three cameras and is only available during business hours. It sits right outside the courthouse doors.
The commissioners say they are worried that somebody might put more than one ballot in the box, despite the oversight. Is that worry worth disenfranchising voters?
If I would like to drop my husband’s ballot off at the same time as my own, instead of each of us making separate trips, is that so horrible? I won’t do it because those are the rules, but if we decide to vote by mail, nobody is stopping me from dropping my husband’s ballot in my mailbox at the same time as my own.
Nobody is voting twice. There are multiple steps taken during an election to prevent fraud, which is virtually nonexistent in this country.
Removing the drop box particularly hurts the elderly, disabled, full time workers and busy parents. It will cause long lines in the upstairs voter registration office and stress the staff. Voters trust the drop box more than they trust the sometimes unreliable US Postal Service to deliver their ballots on time.
The commissioners should be encouraging people to vote, instead of making it harder.
Monica von Dobeneck is a retired newspaper reporter. She lives in South Londonderry Township and is a member of the Lebanon County Democratic Committee
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