NORRISTOWN — Comments about delays in mailing ballots took over the Montgomery County Board of Elections meeting on Monday afternoon, just hours before the polls were due to open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday.
The trio of members on the board met less than 24 hours before the opening of the polls for in-person voting, with all mail-in ballots required to arrive by 8 p.m. Tuesday when the polls close.
“We are responsible for ensuring our elections are carried out, and we take that responsibility very seriously,” said Jamila Winder, Vice Chairwoman of the Montgomery County Election Board, adding that officials are “examining every step in the process leading up to the primary.”
“I apologize to anyone who has been inconvenienced by the delays,” Winder said.
Montgomery County Election Board Chairman Neil Makhija concurred, starting his opening comments by acknowledging several issues that have arisen at the start of the election season.
“We are presently thoroughly assessing every step of the mail-in process,” Makhija said. “There wasn't enough time in this primary for people to receive their mail-in ballots and send them back, partly due to statutory constraints.”
“It’s practically impossible for the state to meet the requirements, as the election certification occurred only about a month before this election. We really aim to start mailing at least 50 days before, and there are several measures we intend to take, including meeting with all the vendors,” he added.
Makhija pointed out that there are no specific turnaround times defined in the mentioned vendor contracts, which he hopes to address before the November general election.
DiBello indicates he’s been excluded
Montgomery County Commissioner Tom DiBello seems to have been unaware of the issues being investigated by his fellow election board members, emphasizing that “we doesn’t include me.”
“So I don’t know what recommendations or proposals we are going to make, but I’m not particularly pleased with the state of affairs with the ballots in this primary. However, I want to assure everyone that when I'm not satisfied, when I get upset, I dive in,” DiBello said. “After tomorrow, I will be digging in because I am not going to tolerate this in November.”
Although DiBello and Makhija had similar views on the need to collaborate with the state legislature to ensure stakeholders are in agreement, DiBello stressed the requirement for local efforts.
“It's a very intricate process, and I believe that the three of us, as new commissioners who are inheriting some of the issues, have been working hard to do everything we can to ensure we could send out the ballots. But we certainly have a lot of work ahead of us, and next week, after the chaos settles, we are going to delve deeply and really strive to ensure that by November, things run as smoothly as possible,” DiBello stated.
“I think all three of us are in agreement on that,” Makhija replied.
Disgruntled voters
Joanne Schweitzer, a resident of Schwenksville, shared during the public comment period of the meeting that her husband had chosen to vote by mail, but “only received (a mail-in ballot) a few days ago.”
She said, “He would have had to complete it the day he got it and hope it would arrive in time for tomorrow. So, there simply wasn’t enough time and I just wanted to inform you of that.”
Schweitzer stated her husband intends to complete the ballot and bring it back Tuesday to a drop box in Skippack Township.
Makhija expressed, “We’re sorry. We are fully aware of this and … we will ensure that this doesn't happen again.”
Makhija emphasized the safety and security of twelve drop boxes located across Montgomery County. They are situated in Cheltenham, Lansdale, Lower Merion, Norristown, Pottstown, Royersford, Skippack, Upper Dublin, Upper Frederick, Upper Merion, and Upper Moreland townships. Monitored by video surveillance, the drop boxes will be accessible for ballot drop-off until 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
Makhija mentioned, “They are significantly more secure than postal boxes.”
Additionally, public discussion focused on election integrity and the necessity for “quality assurance” procedures to be available to the public, in addition to mail-in ballots.
Furthermore, county election officials authorized the appointment of 76 election tabulators, over 2,600 poll workers, and members of the canvassing board, consisting of more than 80 individuals, including county employees and registered Montgomery County voters.
What’s on ballot
Apart from the presidential primary, numerous congressional and state candidates will be on the ballot. Locally, the Municipality of Norristown will conduct a special election where voters will elect a candidate for a seat that became vacant after a candidate was disqualified from taking office.
Norristown Councilwoman Lauren Hughes, a Democrat, has been serving on an interim basis and is running for the seat in the municipality’s fourth district against Republican Antonio Davila.
An election-related tip line was established by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. Anyone wishing to report any suspicious activity on Election Day can call 610-292-2024.
Anyone with questions about the upcoming election in Montgomery County can contact the Montgomery County Office of Voter Services. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday on the sixth floor of One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede St., Norristown. Call 610-278-3280 or visit montgomerycountypa.gov/VoterServices for more information.
