Luzerne County election board to vote on using drop boxes in primary
The Luzerne County election board plans to vote on Wednesday to approve the use of mail ballot drop boxes in Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton for the upcoming May 20 primary, and another motion on the agenda would authorize use of a new, security-enhanced drop box in Wilkes-Barre.
Critics of drop boxes claim they encourage fraud and ballot box stuffing and discourage voters from voting at more-secure polls on election day. Legislation in 2019 expanded mail ballot voting in Pennsylvania by no longer requiring an excuse to vote with a mail ballot.
A drop box is an option for voters who don’t want to go to the polls on election day and don’t want to mail a ballot through the U.S. Postal Service. Drop boxes in U.S. became a more popular option during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In recent years, officials across the U.S. expressed concerns about drop boxes facing physical threats because of misinformation. Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo announced in September the county would not use any ballot drop boxes for the Nov. 5 election because of security concerns, but reversed that decision after the state attorney general said the county election board is the body authorized by the state election code to decide whether drop boxes will be used in elections.
https://www.standardspeaker.com/2025/04/15/luzerne-county-election-board-to-vote-on-using-drop-boxes-in-primary/