DA Comments On Mock Ballot Drop Box Confiscated By Election Board

BRISTOL BOROUGH, PA — The Bucks County Board of Elections was told about, and immediately removed, a mock ballot drop box from Bristol Borough Hall on Wednesday afternoon.

The mock ballot box had been previously used as a "dancing drop box" costume, according to a news release. Six voters appeared to have deposited their mail-in ballots in the box at the time of its confiscation.

The Board of Elections said it retrieved these ballots from the box and segregated them. The owners of those ballots will be contacted.

The Board of Elections also promptly contacted the District Attorney after securing the ballots and confiscating the box.

On Friday, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office released a statement on the incident.

"After consulting with the Chair of the Board of Elections, and after consideration of the facts, I have concluded at this time that the person responsible for placing the mock ballot drop box did not intend to commit election fraud by their actions and was not acting at the direction of any governmental agency or official to commit election fraud," District Attorney Matthew Weintraub wrote.

He added a message to those concerned about fraud in the November vote.

"While I hope and expect that our upcoming election will be free from fraud, we must all be vigilant to protect the integrity of our elections," he wrote.

Upon learning that the person responsible for placing the mock drop box was slated to work as a per diem, temporary employee for the Board of Elections, the county released the person from employment. At the time the person placed the box, the person was not yet a county employee.

"Placement of the mock drop box was at no time sanctioned by the Board of Elections," county officials wrote in a news release. "The county verified with the person that Bristol Borough Hall was the only location where such a box was placed."

The Board of Elections recently voted unanimously to keep the official drop boxes under 24/7 video surveillance and staffed during all hours of operation, according to the release.

Look online for hours and locations of official mail-in/absentee ballot drop boxes.

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