Nichole Holland was on hand to keep an eye on the ballot drop off box at the Montgomery County Health Department office on King Street in Pottstown in 2023. (Evan Brandt MediaNews Group file)
Commissioners acknowledged the “incident brought to our attention” where a “drop box key was dropped” the previous week at the Montgomery County 4-H Center
An incident in which keys to open a ballot drop box were dropped unnoticed for hours was revealed by Montgomery County Commissioners at an October 10 public meeting.
Elected officials were pressed by area residents about the incident during the public comment portion of the commissioners’ meeting held in Montgomery Township.
Commissioners acknowledged the “incident brought to our attention” where a “drop box key was dropped” the previous week at the Montgomery County 4-H Center at 1015 Bridge Road, according to Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairman Neil Makhija.
“It was found. The county immediately looked at all the surveillance video of the drop box. No one tampered with the drop box. The locks were changed immediately,” Makhija said.
Makhija, who also serves as chairman of the county’s election board, said while officials don’t know the exact location of where the keys were dropped, the county sheriff’s office has addressed it.
He underscored that the keys cannot access multiple drop boxes. There are 18 drop boxes positioned across Montgomery County that became operational on October 4.
Montgomery County Commissioners' Chairwoman Jamila Winder added the keys were "turned into Skippack Township and it was handled immediately." Montgomery County Commissioner Tom DiBello added the keys were apparently turned in at some point on October 7, and county officials learned of the situation around midday on October 8.
Two area residents raised the issue during the public comment period of the county commissioners meeting held in Montgomery Township.
“How long were those keys unattended outside of the drop boxes?” asked Lower Providence Township resident Joe Rittenhouse.
Montgomery County Chief Operating Officer Lee Soltysiak replied that “it was approximately three hours.”
“We took the incident very seriously, so thank you for raising it," Winder said. "It’s been addressed, and we will do our part making sure that it doesn’t happen again.”
Security at drop boxes has been a frequent topic during public comments at commissioners' meetings. The commissioners have responded, insisting that the environment is highly secure.
In addition to drop boxes, the county has opened a number of satellite voter service offices where officials say voters can acquire, fill out, and turn in ballots in person with the assurance that they are being received.
Voters in Montgomery County have until Oct. 21 to register to vote and Oct. 29 to request a mail-in ballot. Mail-in ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5 when the polls close on Election Day.
