Luzerne County holds public demonstration of proposed new security-equipped mail ballot drop box

Luzerne County Election Director Emily Cook publicly demonstrated the security features of a new mail ballot drop box Thursday as part of the county election board’s upcoming decision on whether it will be used in a pilot program for the May 20 primary election.

The box from Runbeck Election Services snaps photographs of both the face of the person at the box and each side of the envelope inserted along with the date and time the images were captured. A message on the screen indicates when the ballot has been accepted.

It also has multiple points of internal fire suppression in the event an explosive material is somehow inserted through the opening. The slot itself is fitted to the width of a mail ballot envelope, which prevents the insertion of more than one at a time, Cook said.

Cook cited other benefits, saying the box:

• Has a battery backup in case of power loss.

• Generates a list of the voter identification numbers tied to the inserted ballots.

• Streamlines the tracking of returned ballots.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo told the group the election bureau paid $12,000 for the box, but the county will return it and obtain a refund if the election board does not approve its usage at the board’s next meeting April 16.

Election Board Chairwoman Christine Boyle asked about the camera’s ability to capture the drop box user, and Cook said it has a wide angle.

The box would be placed in the lobby of the county’s Penn Place Building in downtown Wilkes-Barre, which also houses the election bureau on the second floor, as it was in the November general election. Visitors must pass through a security check manned by county sheriff deputies, and a video surveillance camera covers the lobby, including the drop box.

Cook told demonstration attendees she believes the box will add “greater security to our processes.”

Election Board Vice Chairwoman Alyssa Fusaro sought verification that the drop box does not connect to the internet in any way.

Cook said it is “completely offline” and “doesn’t talk to” any other systems.

All ballots fed into the box must be carried by a bipartistan team to the election bureau upstairs, scanned through the county’s Agilis Mail Ballot Sorting System and uploaded to the state voter registration system, she said. Purchased from Runbeck in 2022, the Agilis weeds out ballots with missing inner secrecy envelopes and other defects and eliminates the need for staff to manually scan voter-unique bar codes on each outer envelope to mark them as received.

Boyle inquired about the support that would be provided for the pilot program.

Cook said Runbeck representatives would be on site for the first several days of returns and then available by phone as needed.

Boyle asked if the representatives would appear in person if the county encountered an issue after the initial on-site presence was over.

Cook said yes and noted the company has provided “very excellent support” in the county’s implementation and use of the Agilis system.

Fusaro questioned what would happen if the machine fails.

Crocamo said the county would set up the traditional mailbox-style drop box that had been used in the Penn Place lobby in the past.

Unless the election board says otherwise, the election bureau also plans to set up traditional drop boxes in the election bureau and inside the county-owned Broad Street Exchange Building in downtown Hazleton for southern county residents.

Fusaro asked Cook if the election bureau is “sacrificing people” by applying money intended for election support staffing toward the pilot program. Cook said no and indicated election staffing assistance is paid from a different budget category and funding source.

While more jurisdictions were interested, Cook said Luzerne County was one of three counties in the country selected to pilot the boxes because Runbeck opted for limited initial production of its new drop box technology.

The boxes do not reject any ballot envelopes submitted by voters because all ballots must be screened by the bureau, including those that arrive through U.S. Postal Service delivery, Cook said.

Cook’s fact sheet included a question: How do I know the box does not throw away votes?

Her reply: “The ballot box will accept the envelopes placed into the slot. From there, the Bureau of Elections removes the ballots at the end of each night and will complete the pre-election processing. Voters can check the final acceptance status of their ballot within 48 hours on pavoterservices.pa.gov.”

County Controller Walter Griffith asked what happens if someone puts their hand over the drop box camera. Cook said the identity of the voter can still be determined through the Penn Place video surveillance footage.

Boyle asked how long photos captured by the drop box would be preserved, and Cook said these photos would fall under the two-year retention period for drop box surveillance video footage.

Approximately 50,000 county voters have requested mail ballots this year. Cook said she is aiming to start mailing May 20 primary election ballots immediately after the election board’s April 16 meeting.