Allegheny County Board of Elections to vote on ballot drop-off locations in response to lawsuit
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pending a meeting Wednesday involving the Allegheny County Board of Elections, a councilman will drop his lawsuit for an emergency injunction to stop the opening of ballot drop-off locations.
County Executive Sara Innamorato announced plans for fully-staffed drop-off sites in Squirrel Hill, Moon, North Park, South Park and Boyce Park.
However, Councilman and county Board of Elections member Sam DeMarco said Innamorato got approval from the state but never met with the county's Board of Elections. DeMarco sought an emergency injunction to keep Innamorato from opening the new locations, saying he and other council members felt blindsided by the announcement.
In a consent order filed Monday, DeMarco and the county agreed that the issue of drop-off locations can only be made after a majority vote of the Allegheny County Board of Elections. DeMarco agreed to dismiss the lawsuit after the upcoming Board of Elections meeting on March 20, regardless of the outcome.
DeMarco, a Republican, told KDKA-TV last week that his lawsuit against Innamorato, a Democrat, isn't about playing politics.
"I wanted to remove any concern about partisan taint on the elections process. There's a law, we need to follow it," he said.
When Innamorato announced the plans, she said she wanted to expand access to voting.
Pennsylvania's primary is on April 23.