Residents from townships across the county filed into the Northampton County Board of Elections meeting on Tuesday to leave public comments regarding the implementation of additional voter drop boxes near Lehigh and Lafayette’s college campuses.
According to the United States Election Assistance Commission, drop boxes are physical ballot boxes that are secured using video surveillance, locks and chains and enable voters to submit their ballot on or before election day.
In Northampton County, this method of voting has been used since 2020.
Board of Elections Chair Sharon Gavin Levy called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m., with the vice chair Scott Hough present via phone call. Chair Levy opened up the floor for public comment shortly after the meeting’s commencement.
For 90 minutes, election inspectors, judges, pollworkers, residents and student voters took turns at the podium.
Some advocated for drop boxes to maximize voting accessibility and convenience. Others wanted plans for new voting methods and locations to be halted until existing administrative problems — like poor staffing at polling locations, outdated voter rolls and insufficient communication from the board — could be properly addressed and resolved.
Jay Martin, a resident of Moore Township, said that if the board creates more voting options before fixing issues with the existing polling places, disorganization in county elections will persist and election integrity will be at risk.
“No expanded drop boxes, no mobile voting, no discretionary programs,” Martin said. “Not until the county can get the basics right.”
Many meeting attendees expressed alternative concerns regarding the harmful impacts of restricting accessible voting options.
Ella Willingham, ‘29, said that for students who do not have cars on campus, making their way to the main voting office is a complicated task.
She also said that, in addition to serving students without a vehicle, expanding voting choices would serve first-time student voters, working residents and senior citizens who may not be physically able to stand and endure lengthy wait times at the polls.
“There is a belief that voting shouldn’t be convenient, and that’s not a belief that I share,” Chair of the Northampton County Democratic Party Baron Vanderburg said. “We should be giving people as much access to go to the ballot and to make their voice heard as possible.”
As a result of recent re-districting in some townships, many Northampton County locals shifted into new voting districts, resulting in confusion surrounding polling places, election workers’ assigned stations and other administrative blunders.
Multiple locals pushed for an expansion of voting options on the basis of preserving democracy, and some residents identified drop boxes as necessary to their practical ability to cast a ballot this fall.
Russell Sutton, a resident of Lower Saucon Valley, said setting up new drop boxes would be essential for him and his wife in the coming months as two polling places in his area — Steele City Firehouse and Se-Wy-Co Fire Station— are set to shut down.
“We don’t know what we’re going to do,” Sutton said. “I wish to have additional drop boxes because we need them. We don’t know where we’re going to vote as of now.”
With the midterm elections less than 70 days away, Pennsylvania voters are set to participate in multiple toss-up elections that could determine partisan control of the House of Representatives.
One of these races is PA-07, for which thousands of students, including those attending Lehigh, will cast a ballot.
Additional voting options, or a lack thereof, will tangibly impact how Lehigh students vote on Nov. 3.
Northampton County Registrar Christopher Comini said students and locals can register to vote up until Oct. 19 and can contact the Department of State with any concerns by calling (877) 868-3772.
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