ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh County is halting the use of election ballot dropboxes until further notice.
On Tuesday morning, the county made the announcement as it awaits a decision in the matter of Gill, et al., v. Lehigh County Board of Elections, et al -- an ongoing lawsuit that was heard earlier this month.
- Court order has caused Lehigh County to halt the use of election dropboxes as it awaits a court decision.
- The case will determine how the county should monitor dropboxes and whether the county should operate a 24-dropbox.
- Ballots can be sent through the mail or delivered in-person to the Board of Elections in Allentown.
Asked why the dropboxes have been delayed - when just last month, they were set to be deployed regardless of the lawsuit - county executive Phil Armstrong, in an email to LehighValleyNews.com, said that they were prevented by court order.
Armstrong said that the county cannot proceed with dropboxes until there is decision rendered.
If the county loses, he hopes to appeal.
In a statement shared by county spokeswoman Adrianna Calderon, the county said the dropboxes will be closed and "depending on the decision and further action in the case, deployment may be delayed."
The lawsuit — brought against the county by the America First Legal Foundation, an advocacy group founded by former officials from the Trump administration — concerns just how the county should monitor its five election dropboxes.
"Depending on the decision and further action in the case, deployment may be delayed."<br/>
Judge Thomas Capehart is expected to render a ruling soon on how the county should monitor its dropboxes and whether the county should operate a dropbox 24 hours a day.
Ballots can still be delivered in-person to the board of elections at Lehigh County Government Center, 17 South 7th St., Allentown, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mail-in ballots still also can be sent through the U.S. Postal Service at any mailbox.
