Northam Wants Absentee Ballot Drop-Off Boxes In Virginia: Here’s How They’d Work

From the Virginia Mercury:

By Graham Moomaw

August 19, 2020

Amid widespread uncertainty over how elections can be conducted safely and efficiently during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Ralph Northam is proposing a system of absentee ballot drop boxes that would make it easier for voter to turn in their ballots without relying on the U.S. Postal Service.

The governor’s proposal — included in his budget plan — would only require drop-off sites at locations where in-person voting already takes place.

If the plan is approved, they would be set up at each locality’s main registrar’s office and satellite offices, and outside each polling place on Election Day. Local officials would have the power to set up additional drop-off sites, as long as they’re on public property and accessible.

Localities would have to set them up fast, because the proposal requires voters to publish the locations of all drop-off sites at least 55 days before Election Day. That deadline would fall in early September. Mailed absentee ballots, scheduled to start going out Sept. 18, would also have to include instructions on drop-off options.

Voters can already return absentee ballots to election offices, but that involves entering a building and handing the ballot to an election official, a process some might want to avoid due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The governor’s plan envisions the drop boxes being emptied at least once per day, “by two officers of election representing the two major political parties.” Drop-off containers located inside registrar’s offices could be emptied by the registrar or an assistant.

Absentee ballots would have to be dropped off before the polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day.

The proposal calls for the State Board of Elections to create more detailed rules for how the boxes would work, “including necessary security requirements.” The governor’s plan doesn’t explicitly require a physical box, giving localities some leeway to meet the requirement without buying specific equipment. But the technical details will largely depend on the rules adopted by the state board.

The proposal comes amid nationwide concerns about a potential mail slowdown that could cause delays with ballots being delivered and counted. Virginia officials have tried to instill confidence that all valid ballots will be counted no matter how they’re cast.

With absentee voting set to begin in a month, Northam seemed to acknowledge the urgency surrounding the proposal — and an accompanying one for state-paid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes — in his speech to General Assembly money committees Tuesday.

“For these reforms to matter in November, we must make them now. I ask you to move quickly to pass this budget, because the stakes are high for our country,” Northam said. “To be clear, voting will be safe and secure in Virginia. Your mailed-in ballots will be counted. Virginia will take every action necessary to protect the vote.”

Republican legislators — who have typically favored electoral security over accessibility — are likely to raise questions about how dropped-off ballots will be protected.

“When I hear about drop-offs, that has some concern,” Del. Jason Miyares, R-Virginia Beach, told reporters Wednesday morning. “And I’ve had too often my neighbor’s mail delivered to my house to not have concern about ballot security. Absentee ballots are one thing. But what kind of security are we going to have on these drop boxes. Where are they going to be located?”

The governor’s budget includes $2 million for prepaid ballot postage, but does not allocate additional money for drop boxes.

This story was originally published by the Virginia Mercury. For more stories from the Virginia Mercury, visit VirginiaMercury.com.