Allegheny County to offer ballot-return sites and satellite voting for election

The Allegheny County Board of Elections on Monday approved 10 ballot-return sites and five satellite voting centers for November’s election.

The board, which includes Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato and council members Sam DeMarco, R-North Fayette, and Bethany Hallam, D-North Side, unanimously approved the ballot return sites.

DeMarco voted against the satellite voting centers, making the vote 2 to 1 to approve.

“I am really excited to vote yes on this,” Hallam said.

The Department of Administrative Services recommended the additional locations in an attempt to encourage as many of the county’s 918,000 registered voters to submit their ballots as possible.

Jessica Garofolo, the director of the department, asked the board to approve 10 ballot return sites, including three new locations.

They include:

• Allegheny County Emergency Services Building in Moon
• Boyce Park in Plum
• Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in Squirrel Hill
• the ice rinks at North and South Parks
• Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank in Duquesne
• Community College of Allegheny County at Homewood
• the Dormont Pool
• Avalon Public Library

Even though he voted in favor of the ballot drop-off sites, DeMarco was critical of the cost associated with them.

For the locations used in the April primary, DeMarco said only 2,779 ballots were returned, though the six locations cost more than $324,000 to operate.

That resulted in a cost of $116.73 per ballot returned.

He said it’s not a great return on investment.

Garofolo said some of the initial costs for those sites, including video security cameras, are already covered and will not lead to additional expense moving forward.

“I think that this is a noble investment, and it’s an investment not only in the folks who are going to be voting in November, but the voters that are going to come after that,” Innamorato said.

The ballot return sites will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 29-Nov. 1 and Nov. 4, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 2 and 3.

The five satellite voting centers will be open only on select days leading up to the election.

At those locations, voters can register to vote, apply for a mail-in ballot, fill it out and turn it in.

“You can do everything all in one stop,” Garofolo said.

Although the county offered satellite voting centers in the 2020 election, they have not had them since, which, DeMarco said, worked out fine.

He voted against the satellite locations, saying they can lead voters to question election integrity.

“I’ve spent a tremendous amount of time trying to assure people of Allegheny County, as well as anywhere else I’ve been asked in Pennsylvania, that our elections are secure,” he said. “I’ve done my best trying to knock down what I view as conspiracy theories, but when we introduce things that can create additional ambiguity, it’s concerning.”

The satellite voting center locations include:

• Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Oct. 15-17
• Community College of Allegheny County – Homewood; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 19, 20, 26 and 27
• North Park Ice Rink
• South Park Ice Rink
• County Office Building

Ben Wainwright, a senior political science major at the University of Pittsburgh, urged the board during public comment Monday, as well as two weeks ago, to open a satellite office in Oakland.

He said an Oakland satellite would increase youth voter turnout and engage first-time voters.

“This decision is not just about convenience,” he said. “It’s about empowering the next generation of voters in strengthening the foundation of our democracy.”

He praised the decision after the vote.

“When people talk about the importance of voting — it’s right here, it’s just a short walk away. It’s not taking a bus Downtown.”

During Monday’s meeting, David Voye, the manager of the elections division, said his office has seen an additional 11,000 voters registered since the primary and has thus far received about 160,000 applications for mail-in ballots.

They also have recruited 5,950 poll workers to work the Nov. 5 election, Voye said, and need about 850 more.