HARRISBURG – After Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Leigh Chapman and other organizations criticized Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin for his plan to position law enforcement at his county’s drop boxes during the upcoming primary election on May 17th, Senator David G. Argall (R-29), who chairs the state Senate committee responsible for elections, sent a letter commending District Attorney Martin for his efforts to protect election integrity.
“Since the Pennsylvania Supreme Court created drop boxes without legislative approval shortly before the 2020 election, substantial evidence has come forth that cast doubt on their security,” said Senator Argall. “District Attorney Martin’s refusal to cave to the intimidation tactics of the Wolf Administration show his commitment to free, secure, and fair elections in Pennsylvania.”
District Attorney Martin conducted an investigation that found 288 cases in Lehigh County last fall where voters placed more than one ballot in a drop box, in direct violation of Pennsylvania’s election code. After these findings, the District Attorney announced that detectives will be monitoring drop boxes to ensure the law is followed appropriately.
After a March hearing of the Senate State Government Committee where evidence was presented of activists visiting multiple drop boxes on the same day, the Senate passed Senate Bill 1200, which would disallow the use of drop boxes in future elections.
Contact: Jim Brugger
717.787.2637