Board supervisor orders outdoor ballot box removal in Delhi

ALLISON COLLINS

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

County officials removed a ballot collection box this week from outside the Delaware County Board of Elections Office in Delhi, on the orders of county Board of Supervisors Chairperson Tina Molé.

According to an announcement posted to the Board of Elections’ Facebook page Monday, Oct. 21, the box was removed due to “security issues and a contentious election.”

The removal came less than a week before the start of early voting on Saturday, Oct. 26.

The Facebook post stated that voters who wish to vote via absentee ballot or vote early can still mail in their ballot or deliver the ballot to the Board of Elections office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and during extended hours Oct. 28 through Nov. 3 at the Delhi office.

Absentee and early mail ballots also can be delivered to any polling place on Election Day.

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, Molé said her decision followed the county Legislative Committee’s review of a threat assessment, which came “via email last Thursday.” The Legislative Committee oversees the Board of Elections. The decision, Molé said, was “not at all” an act of voter suppression.

“There was concern, because we don’t have 24-hour coverage, there’s no security lights and there’s no security cameras there,” she said. “We did a threat assessment this summer and added security guards, and we are in the process of getting security cameras installed, which will be hopefully by the end of the year.”

Delaware Count y Public Information Officer Shelly Johnson- Bennett said via email that there had not been any threat or disturbance made to the ballot box before its removal.

“There is no active security threat,” Johnson-Bennett said.

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“The decision was based on concerns that the ballot box was located in an area that does not have security or 24 hour surveillance. To maintain the integrity of our elections we decided to remove the box in light of concerns expressed about the lack of surveillance.”

In an Oct. 22 email to the Daily Star, Molé said that “New York state allows the Board of Elections to utilize an outside ballot box in which voters may deposit their mail-in ballots at any time, day or night. However, New York does not require a voting district to have a ballot box accessible at all times.”

Johnson-Bennett said that “the law that authorizes the Board of Elections to provide for a drop box has not yet been signed into law and therefore no guidance from the state regarding security or operational use of the box has been offered. Until that is made available, we cannot address whether cameras and lighting alone would meet the standards for security as determined by the state Board of Elections.”

Asked about voter registration rates this election cycle, Molé said that “we have seen a massive increase in voter registration.”

Republican Election Commissioner Maria Kelso said that “we’ve had over 3,300 early voter or absentee applications just since September, and over 500 new voter registrations. This is just with our small staff — it’s like a dead run every day.”

On Wednesday, Molé said that since announcing the box’s removal, she received “only one concern brought to me, that I spoke to yesterday.”

Several people took to Facebook to vent their frustrations with the ballot box’s removal.

“When are elections not contentious? This is not OK,” Facebook user Heather Schwartz replied on the Board of Elections announcement post.

“Perhaps the Board of Supervisors should provide more security to protect democracy rather than direct the removal of a path for their constituents to cast their votes,” Facebook user Jenny Rosenzweig posted.

“This now disenfranchised the working class who work during the limited hours that the office is open,” Facebook user Lee Maulik posted.

ONEONTA POLLING PLACE ACCESS

In Otsego County, city of Oneonta officials are working to keep the Market Street polling place in the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center accessible through ongoing road construction.

During a Common Council meeting Tuesday, Department of Public Works Director Chris Yacobucci said that the road may be reduced to one lane of traffic, but the contractor is aware that access needs to be maintained at all times.

Mayor Mark Drnek said that parking will be available on the side and rear of the Foothills building and at the 27 Market St. lot.