Westmoreland County commissioners vote to eliminate multiple ballot drop boxes
GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- Westmoreland County commissioners voted to eliminate all but one ballot drop box for the upcoming election.
The vote was 2-1 along party lines to eliminate multiple mail-in ballot drop boxes and have voters use the blue United States Postal Service drop boxes instead. Now, the drop box in the Westmoreland County Courthouse will soon be the last one standing.
"We've tried it for the last couple of years. And looking at the data, it doesn't appear that the county residents are interested in using drop boxes," Commissioner Doug Chew said.
Citing dollars and cents, commissioners Chew and Sean Kertes voted to get rid of the drop boxes formerly located in Unity Township, Monessen, Murrysville, New Kensington and Youngwood.
"For the 2021 primary and general election, it cost almost $15,000 to receive about 500 ballots at each of those elections," Chew said.
Republicans Chew and Kertes said this works out to about $15 a ballot. The new plan allows voters to drop ballots in any blue USPS mailbox.
"There's postage on all of those return envelopes for people to utilize to get their ballot back to the courthouse," Chew said.
"The blue bins that show on the USPS website show all locations in Westmoreland County where you can walk to," Kertes said.
Democratic Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher was the lone dissenting vote.
"I personally have full faith in the Postal Service. But some individuals are getting their mail-in ballots late, and that's where the drop boxes can really help those individuals," she said.
The new arrangement will be in place for the May primary.