Luzerne County Election Director Michael Susek, second from left, participated in Thursday’s county Election Board meeting along with board members Patrick Castellani, Denise Williams and Audrey Serniak.
Times Leader photo
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Luzerne County’s Election Board released two different calendars Thursday because the county is simultaneously preparing for two back-to-back elections.
The first is a special April 5 special election ordered earlier this month for voters in the 116th Legislative District to select a state representative to serve through this year now that Tarah Toohil is a county judge. There are 34 voting precincts and approximately 33,873 registered voters in this district, and the county Republican and Democratic party organizations will each have the option to select a candidate to appear on the ballot
The county’s primary election will be the following month, on May 17, and include the selection of ballot contenders for governor, state representatives and county Democratic committee members, officials said.
Under the state’s schedule for the special election, the state has until March 6, or about a month before the election, to present the certified list of candidates to the county.
County Election Director Michael Susek told the volunteer citizen election board Thursday it will be a “pretty tight turnaround.”
The election bureau is working with voting equipment supplier Dominion Voting Systems Inc. to prepare the ballot so only the candidate names must be added when they arrive. However, he said it will be “all hands on deck” because the county cannot proceed with pre-election auditing, accuracy testing and proofing until the final ballot is completed.
Susek said it will be “all hands on deck,” with a target to get mail ballots in the hands of voters who request them the week of March 21.
For in-person voting at polling places, Susek said the bureau has confirmed it can use most past locations, although it is still awaiting confirmation on approximately six or seven.
Bureau staffers have been reaching out to poll workers to ensure they are able to take on the additional assignment. Training will be offered in the Hazleton area to accommodate poll workers in the 116th district, he said.
As it has in past elections, the board informally agreed to provide a ballot drop box at Hazleton City Hall so voters cutting it close don’t have to travel to Wilkes-Barre to drop off their ballots.
The board is contemplating a second drop box for the special election, but it’s unclear if that option will be approved.
Under the current legislative boundaries that apply to the special election, the following municipalities partially or fully fall in the 116th District in addition to Hazleton: the boroughs of Conyngham, Nescopeck, New Columbus and Shickshinny; and the townships of Black Creek, Butler, Conyngham, Dorrance, Hazle, Hollenback, Huntington, Nescopeck, Salem, Sugarloaf and Union.
Susek said the bureau will research possible second locations, stressing they must have security cameras and meet other requirements.
Board member Audrey Serniak said she supports more drop boxes in general but is concerned it will “cause confusion” if a second drop box is provided in the special election but not for the primary or other subsequent elections.
Board member Patrick Castellani said the drop box locations “should be consistent.”
“Once they become accustomed to what we’re doing, they will expect it ever time,” he said of a second drop box only for the special election.
Chairwoman Denise Williams said the board can vote at its Feb. 9 meeting on whether there will be one or two drop boxes for the special election.
The county has four mailbox-style drop boxes that were housed in Pittston, Hazleton and Wright Township for the November general election. Plans to set up the fourth box in the Back Mountain were halted due to location issues, but Williams said she believes a suitable host will be available in the Dallas area for the upcoming primary election.
Around the time the bureau is working on the special election ballot, candidates will be submitting nomination petitions to appear on the primary election ballot, which are due March 8, according to the calendar the board released Thursday.
Board vacancies
The board verified that two election board members can make decisions while it is temporarily down to three members.
County council has not yet filled two seats that expired the end of 2021. Republican Richard Nardone, who had served in one of those now-expired seats, had completed a public interview required for possible reappointment. Kathryn Roth, a Democrat, held the other seat and did not seek reappointment.
Assistant solicitor Paula Radick told the board the county law office researched the matter and concluded that two of the three members currently serving is a quorum.
County Council Vice Chairman John Lombardo, who chairs the council committee that publicly interviews board applicants, said vacancies on the election board and other county authorities and commissions should be on county council’s voting agenda for appointment the end of February.
Lombardo, who took office earlier this month, said he has reached out to council colleagues on his committee to schedule interviews for more recent citizen applicants interested in being added to the eligibility list.
In addition to Nardone, two Republicans are currently on the eligibility list for a seat that must be filled by a citizen registered to that party: Candice Chilek and Alyssa Fusaro. Six citizens are on the list for a seat that must be filled by a Democrat: Kathleen McCarthy, David Newman, Michelle Pack, Danny Schramm, Patrick Smith and Peter Wolman.
Thursday’s meeting was the second with only three members.
Speaking during public comment, county Controller Walter Griffith said he believes Nardone must continue to serve in the expired seat until council decides whether he will be reappointed or replaced. Williams asked Radick to research whether Nardone is permitted to continue serving, saying the county administration had provided a different interpretation.
In other business Thursday, the board:
• Ratified the election bureau’s termination of a ballot printing contract with Ohio-based Election IQ LLC. Radick said the bureau sent notice to the company Jan. 25 that it would not continue or agree to a new contract with the company “due to issues we had in the last election.”
Serniak and Castellani approved the ratification, with Williams voting no.
The bureau is reviewing quotes it received from two vendors to perform the work, Susek said.
• Verified mail ballot applications will be sent by Feb. 7 to 54,000 county voters who had checked a box to be placed on a permanent mailing list when they initially applied. Voters who return applications will automatically receive mail ballots for all elections this year. This annual mailing is mandated by state legislation.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.