Westmoreland commissioners say costs, not politics, behind regional drop box cuts

Republican commissioners in Westmoreland County said it is money, not politics, that’s behind a decision to eliminate regional drop boxes for mail-in ballots in next month’s primary election.

Commissioners Doug Chew and Sean Kertes voted Monday to install one drop box at the lower park Pennsylvania Avenue entrance to the Westmoreland County Courthouse through the May 17 primary. In doing so, commissioners said they will forego the system that was in place during the previous three election cycles where drop boxes were used during two weekends at locations in Monessen, Murrysville, New Kensington, Unity and Youngwood prior to in-person voting.

“I look at this from a purely fiscal standpoint,” said Commissioner Doug Chew.

Transportation and personnel expenses to place and monitor drop boxes at regional locations cost taxpayers more than $15,000 for each of the last two elections to collect what officials said were about 1,000 mail-in ballots deposited in the regional drop boxes.

“In this cycle we’ve included postage on everybody’s return envelope. And looking at some of the areas where people might have a harder time with transportation, might not have as many cars, there’s actually mailboxes in plenty of locations that people can walk to and drop their postage paid ballot to return,” Chew said.

Just 232 mail-in ballots were deposited in the drop box at the Murrysville branch of Westmoreland County Community College last fall. Another drop box at the county’s adult probation office in Monessen was used by just 37 voters, officials said. About 17,000 Westmoreland County voters cast mail-in ballots last fall.

Meanwhile, more than 1,200 voters returned their mail-in ballots at a courthouse drop box.

Commissioner Sean Kertes denied politics were behind the decision to scale back drop box use.

“These drop boxes we started using in 2020 were not being utilized to the fullest potential,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes. “The data speaks for itself.”

Republican lawmakers in the Pennsylvania Senate this spring passed legislation that would prohibit use of regional drop boxes, a bill that Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has said he will veto.

About 20,000 voters in Westmoreland County requested mail-in ballots for the upcoming primary. Interim Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey said about 75% of those ballot requests came from Democratic voters.

Democratic Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher said her support for regional drop boxes wasn’t based on politics and pointed to Murrysville, a strong GOP enclave in the county, as the location that saw the largest usage outside of Greensburg.

“The drop box here at the courthouse is great, it has great numbers but senior citizens and disabled who aren’t able to make it to Greensburg and park their car and walk to the drop box. That’s why having one or two days at different areas would be beneficial for those individuals,” Thrasher said.

The courthouse drop box location will operate weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. beginning May 3. It will be in operation on most weekend days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The drop box will not be available on Mother’s Day, May 8.

Mail-in ballots can be applied for and submitted in person at the county election bureau office at the courthouse starting Tuesday, commissioners said.

Mail-in ballots are expected to be sent out to voters late this week, according to officials.