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A bit of a hubbub began Wednesday morning when folks in Venango County picked up their newspaper to read about the recent commissioner’s meeting.
The previous day, the Venango County Commissioners voted two to one to discontinue the mail-in drop box that has been used since 2020.
The previous day, the Venango County Commissioners voted two to one to discontinue the mail-in drop box that has been used since 2020.
This prompted John Kluck, the Venango County Democratic chair, to write a letter objecting to the move. “As registered voters, we object to the removal of the box,” was stated in the letter signed by Kluck and Ashley Smith. It was delivered to the commissioners Friday morning during a public Special Election Board meeting schedule to handle other matters.
The box had been located at the entrance to the Venango County Courthouse Annex since the 2020 general election and used in two primaries and another general election.
The box had been located at the entrance to the Venango County Courthouse Annex since the 2020 general election and used in two primaries and another general election.
“There have been no voting irregularities associated with the ballot drop box in Venango County in previous elections and we see no legitimate reason to remove it,” the letter continued.
Commissioners Sam Breene, Mike Dulaney and Chip Abramovic agree there have not been any irregularities detected in the county. Sabrina Backer, Venango County Director of Elections, also agreed that statement was accurate. Backer said that the use of the drop box is a county-by-county decision.
Crawford County Commissioner Christopher Soff said drop boxes were only used there during the 2020 primary election, but not since.
On Friday, Breene pointed out that if the election board sees potential problems, he feels the board should act to correct those issues. He pointed out that monitoring the box is problematic. “Someone would have to watch it all the time,” he said. And video isn’t always conclusive.
Commissioners Sam Breene, Mike Dulaney and Chip Abramovic agree there have not been any irregularities detected in the county. Sabrina Backer, Venango County Director of Elections, also agreed that statement was accurate. Backer said that the use of the drop box is a county-by-county decision.
Crawford County Commissioner Christopher Soff said drop boxes were only used there during the 2020 primary election, but not since.
On Friday, Breene pointed out that if the election board sees potential problems, he feels the board should act to correct those issues. He pointed out that monitoring the box is problematic. “Someone would have to watch it all the time,” he said. And video isn’t always conclusive.
A person can only drop off their vote to be valid. If someone tries to bring in someone else’s, the election board cannot accept the second ballot. Breene said the state rules aren’t clear what to do if someone drops more than one ballot in a drop box.
“If someone drops off four ballots, say, and we see them do this on video, even if there was nothing nefarious going on, they were just dropping off for their family, do we then have to not count every vote in that box because how do we determine which four were dropped in,” Breene said.
Soff agrees. He said the Crawford County board had similar concerns as to how to keep the boxes secured and what the protocols would be should they discover an issue. “It is just not practical for a county our size,” he said.
Mike Wilcox of Oil Region Rising pointed out that the changes to the U.S. Postal service in recent years have made delivery slower and less reliable, noting that the drop boxes addressed that problem. He and others also noted some accessibility issues for folks getting to the office, the drop box made it easier for them to vote.
Backer and the commissioners said that if someone needs assistance an election official will come down to get the ballot. They emphasized again that only one ballot per voter can be dropped off.
Members in the crowd on Friday morning also brought up that the commissioners’ decision to vote on the issue at Tuesday’s meeting was a bit sneaky and no one had any warning.
Agendas for public meetings must be posted and available to the public no less than 24 hours prior to the meeting. The online agenda was time-stamped at 3:21 p.m. on Monday for the 4:30 p.m. meeting Tuesday. The election board meeting, like several other departments, are included in sections during the commissioners’ meeting.
Veronica Santee said the decision seemed out of the blue and unnecessary and questioned the commissioners’ motives for the action. Breene said he wasn’t going to get into a debate at the election board meeting because the meeting was about other matters - voter registration challenges matters in particular.
“If someone drops off four ballots, say, and we see them do this on video, even if there was nothing nefarious going on, they were just dropping off for their family, do we then have to not count every vote in that box because how do we determine which four were dropped in,” Breene said.
Soff agrees. He said the Crawford County board had similar concerns as to how to keep the boxes secured and what the protocols would be should they discover an issue. “It is just not practical for a county our size,” he said.
Mike Wilcox of Oil Region Rising pointed out that the changes to the U.S. Postal service in recent years have made delivery slower and less reliable, noting that the drop boxes addressed that problem. He and others also noted some accessibility issues for folks getting to the office, the drop box made it easier for them to vote.
Backer and the commissioners said that if someone needs assistance an election official will come down to get the ballot. They emphasized again that only one ballot per voter can be dropped off.
Members in the crowd on Friday morning also brought up that the commissioners’ decision to vote on the issue at Tuesday’s meeting was a bit sneaky and no one had any warning.
Agendas for public meetings must be posted and available to the public no less than 24 hours prior to the meeting. The online agenda was time-stamped at 3:21 p.m. on Monday for the 4:30 p.m. meeting Tuesday. The election board meeting, like several other departments, are included in sections during the commissioners’ meeting.
Veronica Santee said the decision seemed out of the blue and unnecessary and questioned the commissioners’ motives for the action. Breene said he wasn’t going to get into a debate at the election board meeting because the meeting was about other matters - voter registration challenges matters in particular.
Earlier this summer Venango County resident Jeff Lehman and a group of other residents began cross-referencing registered voter lists with postal addresses and found over 600 registered voters who may or may not still live in the county. Backer’s office checked these names.
Lehman was happy to note the election office already knew about a good percentage of the names and went about checking on the others. Many were discovered to be military personnel and, therefore, still active voters. Others were listed inactive, meaning they will have to show proof of ID and residency to vote, but they are not taken off the registered list at this time. Twenty-six names were taken off the list officially.
Backer and the commissioners noted that people are not obligated to tell them if they move, but they have not had anyone try to vote twice in two different states. “I’ve learned a lot from this process,” said Breene.
Backer said when someone is inactive for a certain amount of time, they are sent a series of letters to ascertain their residence and to keep them on the registered voter list. She said this is something they are always working on to ensure their lists are as accurate as they can be.
Sixteen people attended the meeting Friday, a dozen of whom were there mostly to voice their concern over the drop box issue.
Breene said they will look over the letter from the Democrats and also take into account what they heard from residents and look further into their decision.
But for now, there is no plan to use the drop box during the upcoming election.
After the meeting, all three Venango County commissioners emphasized they are easily accessible. Their phone numbers and email addresses are on the county’s website at www.co.venango.pa.us.
“If we only had this many people at the commissioners’ meetings,” Breene joked.
Lehman was happy to note the election office already knew about a good percentage of the names and went about checking on the others. Many were discovered to be military personnel and, therefore, still active voters. Others were listed inactive, meaning they will have to show proof of ID and residency to vote, but they are not taken off the registered list at this time. Twenty-six names were taken off the list officially.
Backer and the commissioners noted that people are not obligated to tell them if they move, but they have not had anyone try to vote twice in two different states. “I’ve learned a lot from this process,” said Breene.
Backer said when someone is inactive for a certain amount of time, they are sent a series of letters to ascertain their residence and to keep them on the registered voter list. She said this is something they are always working on to ensure their lists are as accurate as they can be.
Sixteen people attended the meeting Friday, a dozen of whom were there mostly to voice their concern over the drop box issue.
Breene said they will look over the letter from the Democrats and also take into account what they heard from residents and look further into their decision.
But for now, there is no plan to use the drop box during the upcoming election.
After the meeting, all three Venango County commissioners emphasized they are easily accessible. Their phone numbers and email addresses are on the county’s website at www.co.venango.pa.us.
“If we only had this many people at the commissioners’ meetings,” Breene joked.
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