Griffith’s ideas about poll watchers raise concerns

Luzerne County Election Board Chairwoman Denise Williams said Thursday she is “very concerned” about county Councilman Walter Griffith’s recent comment about organizing watchers at county mail ballot drop boxes.

Williams said Pennsylvania Department of State guidance related to poll watchers is easily accessible online and states poll watchers and authorized representatives have no legal right to observe or be present at designated ballot return sites “except to vote their own ballot or to perform personal tasks expressly permitted by the election code.”

“Any organized or individual interference at a ballot drop box must be and will be reported to law enforcement,” Williams said.

Williams also reiterated the ballot drop boxes will be inside buildings, under video surveillance and containing visible signs informing voters they are under surveillance and prohibited from delivering someone else’s ballot unless they are rendering assistance to a disabled or emergency absentee voter. Such third-party deliveries require a declaration signed by the voter and person rendering assistance, she said.

In comparison, some other states allow ballots to be dropped off by relatives or others, Williams said.

Griffith raised the issue during public comment at Wednesday’s election board meeting, but the board did not have an opportunity to publicly discuss it because the meeting was halted and postponed due to a technology problem impacting virtual attendees.

The Republican contender for county controller on Nov. 2, Griffith said he and others will observe at drop box locations, and he requested a county legal opinion on drop box monitoring.

“I think it’s something that as a candidate, I have a right to be sure that that’s a secure process,” Griffith told the board.

Griffith also told the board he believes observers “have a right” to ask voters whether they have authorization if they are dropping off more than one ballot.

“If we’re not doing that, we have some serious problems with these drop boxes,” Griffith said.

Contacted Thursday, Griffith said Williams’ concerns are valid and stressed there will be no interference with voters or obstruction by him or anyone involved in his campaign.

Griffith said he believes he and others from any political party should be permitted inside the buildings to observe because they are facilities open to the public and already under surveillance. However, he said they will stand on the sidewalk outside to observe if a county legal opinion determines interior access is not allowable.

If exterior observation is necessary, Griffith said he will keep an eye out for voters carrying multiple ballots and possibly photograph or videotape them in case there’s a way to check on their authorization.

He views the volunteer effort as a deterrent, saying some voters may assume the video recordings won’t be monitored and reviewed.

“They should be happy we’re doing this,” Griffith said.

The county’s four new mail box-style drop boxes have arrived, but the election board has not yet decided where they will be placed leading up to the Nov. 2 general election. The election bureau proposed the Pittston Memorial Library and Hazleton City Hall and is in the process of reviewing possibilities in Mountain Top and the Back Mountain.

The county also would continue offering a counter-top drop box at its Penn Place building in downtown Wilkes-Barre.

Board members wanted to switch to postal-style boxes inside non-county buildings because they are too heavy and bulky to steal.

Mail ballots should be sent to voters who requested them starting the week of Oct. 11.

Williams said there are numerous reasons many voters prefer to use drop boxes to submit their mail ballots, including convenience, security, fear that their ballot may be tampered with, lack of trust in the postal process and a concern that their required signature on the outer envelope may be exposed.

Some voters also prefer avoiding polling places due to COVID-19, have difficulty getting to polling places on Election Day due to work and other obligations or concerns they may miss the mailing deadline.

“Ballot drop boxes also minimize the number of voters at the polls, decreasing time spent in line for in-person voters,” Williams said.