Northampton County residents can begin dropping off their mail-in ballots in person to any of the county’s seven secure drop-off boxes starting Thursday, Oct. 3, the Northampton County Elections Office announced. The announcement followed one a day earlier about Ballot-on-Demand voting, which is now available to county registered voters who are voting in person.
Voters can access the secure ballot drop-off boxes without passing through security checkpoints, officials said. The boxes are located at the Northampton County Courthouse Rotunda in Easton, the Northampton County Human Services Building (Main Entrance Vestibule) in Bethlehem, the Northampton County 911 Center in Nazareth, Bethlehem City Hall (Main Lobby), Washington Township Municipal Building (Main Entrance Vestibule) in Bangor, East Allen Township Municipal Building (Main Lobby) in Northampton and the NCC Fowler Family Southside Center (Main Lobby) in Bethlehem. The drop-off box at the courthouse is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturdays in October from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free parking is available in the loading zone on Washington Street in front of the courthouse or in the parking lot at Wolf Avenue and Washington Street.
Voters should note that there are varying operating hours and days for the boxes at each of the above locations. For more information, visit the Elections office website or call 610-559-3055.
The Elections Office emphasized that the county’s drop-off boxes are a safe, convenient and secure alternative to postal mail. A news release noted that each box is a “secure, locked structure that is permanently anchored in place,” monitored by 24-hour surveillance and accessible only to election officials and County Sheriff’s deputies, who will be collecting their contents on a daily basis. All of the boxes are also ADA accessible.
The Elections Office reminded voters that in accordance with state law, the ballot boxes are only for Northampton County voters, and only for voters who are dropping off their own ballots. The only exceptions are for individuals assisting a disabled person or an emergency absentee voter who has a signed “Certification of Designated Agent” form on file at the Elections Office. (A copy of this form can be downloaded here.)
The deadline to apply for a mail-in or civilian absentee ballot is Tuesday, Oct. 29. Applications are available at the Elections Office or online. The General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 5.