Commissioner Christian Y. Leinbach, who cast the dissenting vote, argued that ignorance is not an excuse to not follow the law. He proposed an amendment to reject the ballots, contact the nursing home, and reissue the mail-in ballots so they could be filled out by the residents and mailed to the county appropriately. However, Commissioner Dante Santoni Jr., who made the original motion, declined to accept the amendment due to the proximity of the election.
The board also unanimously voted to refer two new incidents to the district attorney's office, both involving allegations of voter intimidation. The public was reminded that ballots may only be placed in the mail or at one of the three ballot drop boxes in the county by the individual voter. To submit a family member's ballot, the individual must complete a designated agent form at the Election Services Office (Tioga Publishing).
Links
https://www.tiogapublishing.com/news/state/berks-county-board-of-elections-votes-to-accept-nursing-home-ballots-which-were-mailed-illegally/article_c0aa25f9-043c-5ab1-a2bf-b7038448c731.htmlhttps://www.yahoo.com/news/berks-election-officials-send-2-034600558.html