Countyâ??s deadline for absentee ballot extended to 5 p.m. today

The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot in Luzerne County has been extended until 5 p.m. today due to Hurricane Sandy.

Gov. Tom Corbett on Monday ordered the deadline for county election offices to receive absentee ballot applications extended in counties where courthouses were closed for business because of the storm.

The original deadline was Tuesday. Applications for absentee ballots must now be received, not postmarked, by 5 p.m. today. They may be mailed or hand delivered to the county election office.

Marisa Crispell-Barber, Luzerne County's contracted temporary election manager, said the county had received 6,669 applications for absentee ballots as of Friday, and that last-minute applications continued arriving this week.

We're processing them every day, Crispell-Barber said. Yesterday (Monday) for instance we had about 40 people come into the office to vote, because you can actually fill out the application and we'll process it and you can drop it in the ballot box right there.

Absentee ballots must be returned to the County Election Bureau no later than 5 p.m. Friday. The election, which includes races for president, Congress and state offices, is Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Voters who become physically disabled or ill, or who learn they must be absent from their municipality of residence because of business, duties or occupation can file for an emergency absentee ballot by completing and filing an emergency absentee ballot application with the Court of Common Pleas.

Information on filing absentee ballot applications is available at www.votespa.com.