Luzerne County Election Director Shelby Watchilla demonstrates the new ballot marking device that voters will use for the first time in the April 28 primary.
                                 Submitted photo

Luzerne County Election Director Shelby Watchilla demonstrates the new ballot marking device that voters will use for the first time in the April 28 primary.

Submitted photo

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Applications are now available for Luzerne County voters interested in casting their April 28 primary election ballots by mail.

In the past, voters had to cite a reason they were unable to appear at the polls on Election Day — such as an illness, travel, work or other obligation — to take advantage of absentee voting.

Under new state election reforms, no excuse is needed.

Voters should consider the new option for convenience or to avoid polling place crowds in the high-turnout presidential election, when the county will be using a new paper-trail system for the first time, said county Election Director Shelby Watchilla.

“We are encouraging the no-excuse, mail-in ballot,” Watchilla said. “There will be lines at polling places, and we can’t control that.”

With the new election equipment, voters will make selections on computerized ballot-marking devices similar to the way they do now. But instead of touching a screen box to cast the ballot, voters will receive a paper printout to verify their selections before the paper is fed into a tabulator to be read and saved in compliance with a state mandate.

While stressing the new system is “very simple to use,” Watchilla said the extra step of feeding paper into a tabulator will take more time.

How to mail in

Registered voters interested in the new mail-in option must apply for a ballot. Applications must be received at the county election office by 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before the election, or April 21 for the upcoming primary.

Applications are available on the elections section at www.luzernecounty.org or at the county election office on the second floor of the Penn Place Building, which is Pennsylvania Avenue and Market Street in downtown Wilkes-Barre.

The election office is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but Watchilla said office employees will work later April 21 to ensure applications are accepted from all last-minute prospective mail-in voters in the office before 5 p.m. that day.

Applicants will start receiving their mail-in ballots when the ballots are printed on or after March 9. A specific date for ballot completion has not been set.

Once ballots are ready in March, those applying at the election office can avoid the mail-in altogether under another state reform. These in-person visitors can both submit their applications for processing and cast their ballot in the same visit. The office has a secure, locked box for the completed ballots, Watchilla said.

Completed ballots must be submitted to the county by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Due to an expected surge in mail-in ballots, the county may not have election night tallying of votes that are not cast in polling places, Watchilla said. Correct counting must take precedence over speedy releasing of results, she said.

“In every county, the results are going to take longer to count,” she said. “We’d rather take our time and have it all done accurately.”

The election office has received and tested its 750 ballot marking devices in addition to scanners and other equipment from Dominion Voting Systems Inc., Watchilla said. The contractor was recommended by county Manager C. David Pedri and approved by council.

Scheduling is underway for poll worker training sessions on the new system, set to begin in March, she said. Plans also will be announced soon for voter education opportunities, she said.

Voter registration deadline

The voter registration deadline is now 15 days prior to an election, rather than 30 days, under the state reforms.

That means those interested in registering have until 4:30 p.m. April 13 to submit their applications to the office, Watchilla said.

Because voters will be have more time to register, counties will no longer use mail postmark dates as a factor for determining if applicants met the registration deadline.

Voter registration can be completed online through the county election section at www.luzernecounty.org or in the election office.

Watchilla urged voters with questions about the process to contact the election office at 570-825-1715 or email [email protected].

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.