Luzerne County Sheriff deputies lock up the mail ballot storage room due to a bomb threat against multiple counties.
Jennifer Learn-Andes | Times Leader
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A Lackawanna County bomb detection dog is guided to the elevator in Luzerne County’s Penn Place Building in downtown Wilkes-Barre Tuesday after searching the mail ballot processing room.
Jennifer Learn-Andes | Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County election workers and officials were permitted back in the ballot processing room at the Penn Place Building at approximately 9:15 p.m. over an hour after it was locked down.
Sheriff deputies were stationed outside the doors at around 8 p.m. Tuesday due to a bomb threat against multiple counties, officials said.
At about 8:35 p.m., a bomb detection dog from Lackawanna County was brought in to the room.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo told observers the county was taking the threat seriously, although it may not turn out to be credible.
Poll watchers and other election officials were permitted to remain on the third floor but not near the room where the ballots are processed. This only impacted mail ballots, as the county was still awaiting election returns from polling places at the time of lockdown.
Denise Williams, county election board chairwoman, estimated 28,000 mail ballots had been processed during pre-canvassing before the room was evacuated.