This report is part of a project with the Center for Media Engagement on dispelling election misinformation.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Depositing your mail-in ballot in a county-designated drop box is a relatively simple process.
But Pennsylvania law requires voters return only their own ballot and prohibits people from returning other voters’ ballots — including a spouse's — to a drop box on their behalf.
The law gained attention two years ago when former Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin had county detectives monitor voters as they deposited mail-in ballots at drop boxes.
The monitoring began after Martin cited an investigation by his office that showed nearly 300 people deposited multiple ballots at drop boxes in the November 2021 general election.
Critics said the move would have a chilling effect on drop box use. A lawsuit by the America First Legal Foundation and local Republicans sought tighter restrictions on drop boxes, but ultimately was thrown out.
Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan, who took office this year, said he doesn’t intend to have detectives monitor the boxes this election season.
In both Lehigh and Northampton counties, designated drop boxes are under video surveillance for security reasons, election officials say.
But there is no one assigned to be stationed at the boxes as voters drop mail-in ballots, according to both counties.
Sheriff’s deputies do accompany elections workers when they are retrieving ballots from the boxes.
Lehigh County has five drop boxes in place and Northampton County has seven.
If a Pennsylvania voter has a disability and needs assistance returning their ballot, they can designate someone to drop it off for them. The voter must use a “designated agent form” and send it with the person handling it, according to the Department of State.
The law applies whether voters are returning a ballot to the post office, a drop box, or to a county election office. So, just as it’s illegal for you to drop yours and your spouse’s mail-in ballots into a designated drop box, it’s also illegal to do the same at the local post office.
But enforcing the law for people who return ballots by mail is difficult, said Kathy Boockvar, Pennsylvania’s former secretary of state and current president of Athena Strategies, an elections-focused consulting firm.
“In terms of its enforcement, there’s really, you know, very little ability to enforce something like somebody putting a ballot in the mail,” Boockvar said. “People have been mailing letters for each other forever.”
Local election officials say they’re confident the integrity of mail-in voting by drop box is safe and secure.
Here are the drop box locations in the Lehigh Valley:
Northampton County
Northampton County Government Center (rotunda):
669 Washington St., Easton
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 5, Oct. 12, Oct. 19, Oct. 26
Parking: When dropping off a ballot, voters can park for free in the loading and unloading zone on Washington Street in front of the courthouse or use the parking lot at Wolf Avenue and Washington Street.
Northampton County Human Services Building (main entrance vestibule):
2801 Emrick Blvd., Bethlehem Township
Hours: 8:30 a.m to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays
Northampton County 911 Center (main entrance vestibule):
100 Gracedale Ave., Upper Nazareth Township
Hours: Open 24/7
Bethlehem City Hall (main lobby):
10 E. Church St., Bethlehem
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday
Accessible on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Washington Township Municipal Building (main entrance vestibule):
1021 Washington Blvd., Washington Township
Hours: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday
7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays
East Allen Township Municipal Building (main lobby):
5344 Nor-Bath Blvd., East Allen Township
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
NCC Fowler Family Southside Center (main lobby):
511 E. Third St., Bethlehem
Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday
7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Fridays
7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays
Lehigh County
Lehigh County Government Center
17 S. Seventh St., Allentown
Available 24/7 until 8 p.m. on Election Day
Whitehall Township Municipal Building
3219 MacArthur Road, Whitehall
Available 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday
Fountain Hill Borough Building
941 Long St., Fountain Hill
Available 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
Macungie Borough Building
21 Locust St., Macungie
Available 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
Lehigh County Authority lobby
1053 Spruce Road, Lower Macungie Township
8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was produced as part of a partnership between LehighValleyNews.com and the Center for Media Engagement in a project designed to identify and dispel election-related misinformation. If you see, hear, or suspect misinformation about the election process, email news@lehighvalleynews.com or create an account and report it directly to the project’s website.
