Pike County Needs More Drop Boxes

Pike County covers 567 square miles and has a population of approximately 62,800 residents, with roughly 46,000 registered voters. Requiring voters to travel to Milford to cast a mail-in ballot places a significant strain on our community. For instance, residents traveling from Lackawaxen Township to the north or Lehman Township to the south must drive 30 to 45 minutes each way just to submit their ballots.

Before last year’s general election, Commissioner Matt Osterberg stated that "the County only needs one ballot box." Given the geographic vastness of our county and the high number of registered voters that include senior citizens, this approach is insufficient. Furthermore, recent USPS guidelines indicate that mail may take 3 to 4 days just to be postmarked, meaning that even ballots mailed a week in advance are not guaranteed to arrive by Election Day.

Our township municipal buildings are secure, equipped with 24-hour surveillance and locking safes, and could easily host and manage a ballot drop box for the month leading up to Nov. 3rd. Providing these drop boxes would offer voters the ease and convenience of safely casting their ballots within their home districts. Neighboring Monroe County utilizes seven ballot drop boxes throughout their county to ensure voter accessibility.

“Pike County has earned a strong reputation for safe, secure and trustworthy elections. Expanding access through additional secure ballot drop boxes would build upon-not diminish-that success”, said Commissioner Christa Caceres

For the ease, convenience, and assurance of all Pike County voters, I urge the Board of Elections to implement additional ballot drop boxes ahead of the upcoming November election.

Cheryl R. Glenn, Chair

Delaware-Dingman Twps. Democratic Club