ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Lehigh County voters will face a historic decision at the ballot this November as they consider altering the make up of the Election and Registration Commission.
The independent body, better known as the Board of Elections, is tasked with overseeing the administration of elections in Lehigh County. County employees conduct day-to-day operations in the Voter Registration office – filing paperwork, assisting residents, testing machines – but the three-member body sets policy decisions such as selecting which equipment to use, allowing or disallowing drop boxes and certifying election results.
Under Lehigh County's Home Rule Charter, county commissioners appoint one member from each of the two largest parties to the election board while the third and final seat is held by the county executive.
While both parties have praised the board for behaving in a non-partisan manner, County Commissioners Sarah Fevig and Ron Beitler argued the set up could allow one party to dictate election policy and shut out independent voices.
Their legislation, which commissioners passed by an 8-1 vote in May, would expand the board to five members: two Democrats, two Republicans and a third-party or unaffiliated voter. Local citizens have the final say on the plan via a referendum question this Election Day.
"I think we're the first election board in the state that would give that kind of representation to unaffiliated and independent voters," said Beitler, a former Republican who shifted his affiliation to the independent Forward Party earlier this year.
Fevig, a Democrat, acknowledged that many members of her party view Democrats as a bulwark for democracy. President Joe Biden and others argued that efforts by President Donald Trump and his supporters to overturn the 2020 election showed why Democrats need to be in power to ensure election integrity.
But Fevig pushed back on that notion, saying Republican officials in Lehigh County have acted in good faith to ensure legitimate results. Giving both parties an equal say and engaging the growing number of independent voters will promote transparency and prevent one party from controlling elections.
"If you can put a structure in place that is equally balanced in power, it forces us to work together in the ways that we need to be," she said.
Finer details
Under the plan, the county Democratic and Republican committees would each keep nominating five people to the board. County commissioners would continue to select one person from each group to serve.
The three new spots – one Democrat, one Republican and one independent – would be selected from applications from the general public, Fevig said. The goal is to include people who aren't entrenched in the local parties.
Applicants would need to remain registered members of those groups for two years to be considered. The independent position would need to be someone who was registered to no party or registered as an independent or unaffiliated over that time period.
"It's a more robust process than we've had before. It's something that we're really proud of," Fevig said.
The proposal has the endorsement of the one person guaranteed to lose power under the proposal. Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel said he recognizes that unaffiliated voters need a stronger voice in the conduct of elections.
Siegel said there's a broad sentiment that independents are wishy-washy moderates who sit on the fence. In reality, he said, they're often people with strong opinions who don't fit neatly within either party. They ought to be given a larger say in how something as vital as elections are conducted.
"They are definitely exhausted by the hyper-partisan nature of politics. That disaffected block of voters, they're really locked out of our political system," Siegel said.
Partisans staying out of the fight
The chairs of both the Lehigh County Democratic Committee and the Lehigh County Republican Committee said their organizations are opting not to weigh in on the matter.
Republican Committee Chair George Rivera said he personally supports the measure but the committee is staying neutral. Given the partisan nature of national politics, his fear is that a show of public support or opposition would induce a knee-jerk reaction.
"If we were to take a stance either way, it would receive opposition from the opposing party," Rivera said.
Democratic Committee Chair Lori McFarland said her committee broadly supported elements of the plan but had concerns about how it could work in practice. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has voted to open primaries up to unaffiliated voters, which may dramatically change how people register to vote.
"We are definitely for including an independent representative. They are clearly underrepresented," she said.
"Shall the Lehigh County Home Rule Charter be amended to expand the membership of the Election and Registration Commission from 3 voting members to 5 voting members, consisting of 2 members from each of the two largest political affiliations in the County, and 1 member from the third largest political affiliation (inclusive of non-affiliated/independent), and to revise the appointment process to provide residents the opportunity to apply for the Commission?"
A "Yes" vote would expand the board and include independents while a "No" vote would keep the existing three-member setup.