Manager: Luzerne County caught up on processing returned mail ballots

On Thursday morning, the state’s daily online mail ballot report indicated Luzerne County’s Election Bureau had logged the return of 24,779 completed Nov. 5 general election mail ballots.

Around 10 p.m. that evening, the bureau reported it had processed the receipt of approximately 37,000 ballots.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo said the bureau is now caught up scanning returned ballots.

Crocamo also noted that some of the ballots are arriving in secrecy envelopes with no outer mailing envelope or in regular envelopes, which means there is no bar code to scan and record them as received.

Processing of received ballots is necessary to reassure voters checking the status of their mail ballot through the state’s increasingly popular online tracker. Available at pavoterservices.pa.gov, the tracker requires voters to enter their name as it appears on the mail ballot application, their date of birth and county.

Processing of returns also is needed to detect fatal defects that prevent a mail ballot from being counted, namely a missing inner secrecy envelope or outer envelope voter signatures and dates. When such fatal flaws are discovered leading up to the election, the bureau follows state guidance and alerts impacted voters if they provided an email address on their mail ballot application.

Those receiving alerts of voided or otherwise deficient ballots will be able to appear at the election bureau to submit a new ballot or fill out a paper provisional ballot at their polling place on Election Day. Provisional ballots are reviewed last by the board to verify nobody is voting twice.

Voters have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to return their ballots. The ballots must be physically in the election bureau by the deadline, and postmarks do not count.

Ballot mailing

Republican Jamie Walsh, an unopposed candidate for state representative in the 117th Legislative District, said Thursday he has received communications from approximately 100 voters still awaiting receipt of their ballots. Walsh said a spreadsheet of these voters was being compiled.

Crocamo said she welcomes a spreadsheet as long as it contains data required for the bureau to check, including the names and birthdates of the voters in question.

“Whether or not they received their ballot may depend on when they requested it,” Crocamo said. “We need verifiable information.”

County Democratic Party Chairman Thomas Shubilla said Thursday the state party’s cure team informed him a number of ballots that had been recorded as being mailed on Oct. 7 may not have been received by those voters. Shubilla said the party is working on getting him names for the county to research.

Crocamo said the Democratic Party has not offered “one shred of verifiable evidence” on this matter.

Due to the number of voters contacting the election board about not receiving their ballots, county Election Board Chairwoman Denise Williams sent an email asking the bureau to recheck mail ballot files transmitted to the printer to verify all transmissions went through and that all the data that was transferred “lined up.”

County Republican Party Chairman Gene Ziemba said he is “incredibly monitoring” records and reports to ensure all required work is completed so “the voices of all voters are heard.”

Crocamo said to the best of her knowledge, all mail ballots requested by Tuesday’s deadline have been sent to the printer, with the final batch sent Thursday for voters who requested them close to the deadline.

When the bureau sends ballots to the printer, the turnaround time is 24 to 48 hours for the printer to get them in the mail, she said.

The county is working on a communication advising voters to plan how they will vote if they don’t receive their mail ballots in time.

Security

Temporary orange plastic “Jersey barriers” have been set up around the county’s Penn Place Building in downtown Wilkes-Barre as part of added security measures and for foot traffic and crowd control, Crocamo said.

There was no cost because the barriers are part of the county’s emergency services inventory, she said.

Located at the corner of Market Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, Penn Place is the hub of election operations because it houses the election bureau and is the site where election results are processed.

As previously reported, the county also installed boulders around the perimeter and installed safety and security film on the windows.

Crocamo said she has asked the county court to modify its scheduling of court proceedings on Election Day to free up more sheriff deputies for election-related assignments as needed.

Among other preparations, the election bureau completed the programming of electronic poll books Thursday, which are used when voters sign in at polling places on Election Day, she said. Delivery of sealed voting equipment to polling places also has begun, she said.

Walsh suit

In Walsh’s pending election-related suit, a hearing may be held at 4 p.m. Friday in federal court in Williamsport, according to Walsh and others.

It’s unclear if an understanding will be reached by the parties before then.

Walsh filed the litigation Oct. 25 against the county, the county election bureau and county election board.

The litigation seeks an order requiring the county to process remaining voter registrations and mail ballot applications. The county said processing of both has been completed and that Walsh, the lone plaintiff, already cast a mail ballot. Walsh wanted to present other voters as witnesses.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann in Pennsylvania’s Middle District is presiding over the case.