With a nod to the increasing number of independent voters in Lehigh County and across the country, Lehigh County is considering a change to the way local elections are overseen.<\/p>\n
Commissioner Sarah Fevig on Wednesday introduced a bill to change the county\u2019s Board of Elections from three members to five, adding an independent voice and removing the county executive as a voting member.<\/p>\n
The proposed change, which would ultimately be decided by voters in a ballot referendum in November, would make Lehigh the first county in Pennsylvania without a political majority in charge of the board.<\/p>\n
This is critical, Fevig said, since election results and procedures have been increasingly under scrutiny since 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a model that addresses threats to our freedom and democracy, and capitalizes on the opportunity that we have as members of the county to work together to secure our future and our fundamental right to determine our own elected leaders,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Board of Elections determines polling places, sets where ballot boxes are placed, and certifies county election results, among other duties. Currently, it consists of one Republican, one Democrat and the county executive. That creates a majority for the executive\u2019s party.<\/p>\n
Under the proposal, the board would grow to five members: two each from the political parties with the most members \u2014 Democratic and Republican, by today\u2019s numbers \u2014 and one from the party with the third most, which would be an independent in 2026.<\/p>\n
Those positions could flip in the ever-changing political landscape, Fevig said, noting that 20% of the county\u2019s voters now identify as independent, up from 11% in 1998.<\/p>\n