A Luzerne County Council majority agreed to ask the county’s volunteer, five-citizen Election Board to consider adding more mail ballot drop boxes for the Nov. 3 general election.
Eight council members — all Democrats — approved the request Tuesday: Chairman Jimmy Sabatino, Vice Chairwoman Brittany Stephenson, Chris Belles, Steve Coslett, Dawn Simmons, Denise Williams, Joanna Bryn Smith, and Patty Krushnowski.
Two Republican Council members in attendance — Harry Haas and LeeAnn McDermott — voted against the request. Councilman John Lombardo, also a Republican, was not present.
Sabatino had proposed the request, saying he believes more than two drop box sites are needed in a county so large. He has acknowledged the election board has the final say and was hopeful enough time remains for the board to consider options before Nov. 3 general election mail ballots are issued.
Oct. 20 is the deadline to issue general election mail ballots, although county Election Director Emily Cook has been getting them out before the deadline, when possible, to ensure voters have ample time to receive and return them by regular mail.
Election Board Chairwoman Christine Boyle has said the board will consider any official request from council and decide how to address it.
The county has two drop box locations inside county-owned properties: the Broad Street Business Exchange Building in Hazleton and the Penn Place Building in Wilkes-Barre. A box is also set up inside the election bureau on the second floor of Penn Place.
At Williams’ suggestion Tuesday, council also agreed to ask the election board to explore relocating the southern county box to Hazleton City Hall.
Williams said the box in the Broad Street Exchange is difficult to find, which could discourage voters from using it.
City Mayor Jeff Cusat said in January he would welcome a box in city hall. Although he is not a proponent of mail ballot voting, Cusat said he’d rather have the box inside city hall “so we can vouch for its integrity.”
As in multiple past discussions about drop boxes, several citizens urged council to advocate for more boxes, while a few spoke in opposition.
Haas said state legislators “dropped the ball” in failing to approve “codified law” regarding drop boxes, and he contested council’s involvement because drop boxes are not “our purview.” He said Americans must “show up” to vote and that drop boxes are “a concern for a lot of people.”
McDermott questioned the costs of adding drop boxes and how many voters are using the existing ones. Residents with transportation barriers accessing the two drop box sites could fill out a designated agent form to have someone deliver a ballot on their behalf, she said.
Belles said he believes more drop boxes are warranted. There is strong Democratic support for drop boxes in general, and the council has more Democrats than Republicans, he said.
“Elections have consequences is sort of the bottom line on it,” Belles said.
Williams, a prior election board chairwoman, said almost one-third of county voters cast mail ballots, and she wants to support those voters as well as those opting to vote at the polls. She noted mail ballot voting with no excuse or reason required was implemented in Pennsylvania due to the majority support of Republican state legislators.
Stephenson said, “I’ll do anything in my power to give Luzerne County residents access” to voting.
Opioid earmarks approved
In other business Tuesday, all 10 council members approved four new opioid earmarks totaling $451,112 that were recommended by the county’s Commission on Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement.
The awards are from the county’s share of the state’s settlement against opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributors and must comply with settlement fund eligibility protocols.
The recommended awards:
• Berwick Area Transitional Services — $40,000 to provide coordinated housing assistance, transportation support, employment stabilization services, and other help to Luzerne County residents seeking or in treatment and their immediate families.
• Dress for Success Luzerne County — $126,112 for the Strategies for Success program that helps women in recovery rebuild their lives.
• Guardian Angel — $160,000 to expand access to safe, licensed recovery housing and Certified Recovery Specialist services for women in the county.
• Restorative Roots — $125,000 to expand its state-licensed transitional housing beds for those with opioid use disorder. It operates recovery houses in Edwardsville, Plymouth, and Wilkes-Barre.