Rally held in Westmoreland County urging reinstatement of ballot drop boxes

Westmoreland County Democrats, along with a group of some 30 voters, labor leaders, and veterans, rallied at the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Tuesday in favor of reinstating ballot drop boxes across the county.

Westmoreland County Commissioner and Democrat Ted Kopas says the county had drop boxes during the pandemic, and he says they were useful to the voting public. 

He also said that the county has the ability, both physically and financially, to reinstate these boxes that help thousands of people from both parties vote.

"Our elections should be safe, secure, and accessible," said Kopas. "An integral part of accessibility is having ballot drop boxes. That is why we heard a lot of powerful testimony out here today about what it means, particularly in Westmoreland County, where we have an older demographic, some challenging geography, and an unreliable postal service. This, to me, is an absolute no-brainer."

Two weeks ago, the three county commissioners, Kopas, along with Republicans Sean Kertes and Doug Chew, voted along party lines, 2 to 1, not to reinstate drop boxes for the upcoming elections.

In statements to KDKA-TV, Commission Chairman Kertes said, "My position on drop boxes has not changed. Commissioner Chew and I supported the use of drop boxes during COVID. However, after nearly two years of use, it became clear that the public did not utilize them to any significant degree. At this point, drop boxes have become more of a political issue than one based on the actual facts and experience within the county."

Commissioner Chew said, "If Commissioner Kopas were paying attention, he'd know that we currently have only two registrars in our Election Bureau, and it's getting harder and harder to get volunteers from other departments to work elections. Hard enough, that in 2024, we had to ask the state to allow a court employee to help us with election tasks. This doesn't even include the added payroll costs these bring. Short staffing plus drop boxes opens the door for fraud."

This year is an election year in the state and nationwide, with the primary set for May 19 and the midterms on Nov. 3.

Those who gathered at the courthouse on Tuesday said the push for drop boxes will continue, even though drop boxes likely will not be used this year.