Since mail-in ballots and drop boxes became a thing, Montgomery County has not been precise when explaining on its website who can drop a completed ballot in a drop box. We point this out every year and this year we have found is no different.

If you go to the Voter Services section of the Montgomery County website, you will find a section titled “Secure Drop Box Location and Hours.” Once you click that, the page describes the options for returning a mail-in ballot.

On that page, in the third paragraph under the header of “Secure Ballot Drop Boxes,” it states the following.

“Remember, you may only return your own ballot to a secure ballot drop box.”

Further down on the page, under the “Before You Drop Off Your Ballot” header, it states:

“Pursuant to the Pennsylvania Election Code, voted ballots may only be returned by the individual voter and not by any other individuals.”

The issue is that the county is not telling the whole story. Under certain conditions, someone can return another person’s ballot if that person cannot return the ballot themselves. This is not mentioned until the bottom of the page, below the two statements we shared above. It states:

“If a voter has an illness or disability that will prevent them from dropping off their ballot, they can designate an agent to pick up or drop off their ballot. The agent can only pick up or drop off ballots for voters who are in the same household, and the ballot can only be picked up at the Voter Services Office located at 425 Swede St., 6th Floor, Norristown, PA 19401. The first page should be signed by the agent, and the second page should be signed by the voter. Click here to access the Certification of Designated Agent form.“

If someone seeks information on returning another’s ballot, they are currently told twice that it isn’t allowed before the conditions under which it is permissible are shared.

It is possible to find the correct information if one visits the “Frequently Asked Questions” page.