Lehigh Valley lawmakers want new law to allow spouses to drop off mail-in ballots for wives, husbands
Doing so is now illegal
Three Democratic Lehigh Valley lawmakers plan to introduce a bill that would allow spouses and blood relatives to deliver mail-in voting ballots to drop-off boxes.
State Reps. Mike Schlossberg, 132nd, Peter Schweyer, 22nd, and Jeanne McNeill, 133rd, stated their intentions to introduce The Decriminalizing Spouses Act in a memorandum posted by Schlossberg Thursday.
“My wife can pick up a prescription at the pharmacy for me. I can pick up hers too! In fact, there are many errands we can run for each other. Some are common. Some are less so. None are illegal. Except one: I cannot legally drop off her absentee or mail-in-ballot without a bureaucratic process. The law is clear about that,” the memorandum says.
“It is time to introduce legislation allowing a spouse or blood-relative to return the ballot of a family member without red tape,” Schlossberg’s memorandum said.
On Tuesday, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin issued a warning to voters that detectives will monitor ballot drop-off locations and anyone caught dropping off more than one mail-in ballot could be prosecuted.
“If voters are observed dropping off more than one ballot, they may face prosecution and could be exposed to fines and penalties not to exceed $2,500 or be imprisoned for a term up to two years, or both, as provided in the Election Code,” Martin said in a press release.
Martin said county detectives will physically monitor Lehigh County’s five drop-off locations and will review 24-hour video surveillance recordings.
Under the law, a person may only drop off one ballot. Certificate of designated agent forms can be obtained to drop off a ballot of someone who is physically unable to do so. See www.vote.pa.gov for details.
Schlossberg’s memorandum says, “Enforcement of such a law is absurd. It diverts critically needed public safety resources from keeping our communities safe and wastes taxpayer dollars. In Lehigh County, it has forced the District Attorney … to dedicate county detectives to investigate and monitor the delivery of mail-in-ballots.”
Schlossberg said he and the other two lawmakers will be writing the law and introducing it as soon as possible.
No-excuse, mail-in ballots remain legal in Pennsylvania – even as Senate Republicans in Harrisburg have moved to eliminate ballot drop-off boxes, and the fate of Act 77, which allowed no-excuse ballots, is in the hands of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
The memorandum says mail-in voting is secure and that The Decriminalizing Spouses Act is common sense.
“Election boards across the state have established a system to ensure ballots are distributed to qualified voters and can make sure voters do not cast multiple ballots,” the memorandum says.
Voters can begin dropping off ballots at locations on Monday. See the list of locations here.