A poll workers tears off an ‘I Voted’ sticker at the Toyota Sports Complex polling place during last November’s general election.
                                 Times Leader file photo

A poll workers tears off an ‘I Voted’ sticker at the Toyota Sports Complex polling place during last November’s general election.

Times Leader file photo

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The plan on how Luzerne County voters will cast their ballots in person June 2 during the coronavirus pandemic has now been finalized and approved.

Upon arrival at their polling place, voters will sign in as usual using electronic poll books.

There was some debate about this at Wednesday’s virtual county election board meeting.

County Manager C. David Pedri wanted to use paper poll books, arguing that voters could sign in using a take-home pen instead of a shared electronic stylus. However, an election board majority voted to use the electronic books because they provide workers with instant access to where voters are registered if they show up at the wrong place, which may happen because many polling locations are temporarily changing for the upcoming primary.

Pedri said after the board meeting he will come up with a safe way for voters to use the electronic books, likely involving a separate stylus supplied to each voter. He also said he would halt an outgoing payment for paper poll books.

Voting process

After signing in, non-disabled voters will receive a take-home pen, fill out paper ballots and feed them into a scanner to be tabulated and stored. The type of pen was recommended by Dominion Voting Systems Inc., which supplied the scanners, following its testing of numerous options to identify one with ink that dries fast and doesn’t bleed on paper, Pedri said. He does not believe this pen is available with a stylus tip that also could be used for the poll books.

Gloved election workers will hand voters privacy folders containing the paper ballots. Three-sided, tabletop privacy screens will be set up for voters to fill in their selections.

Voters with vision impairments or other disabilities preventing them from voting on paper unassisted will have access to a touchscreen electronic ballot marking device set up at each polling location.

These devices, also purchased from Dominion, were supposed to be used by all voters for the first time in the primary, but Pedri and the election office pushed for paper ballots on June 2, primarily citing concerns all election workers could not be trained on how to operate the devices in time for the primary.

Two of the five election board members — Joyce Dombroski-Gebhardt and Chairman Jose Adames — supported using the devices instead of paper on June 2.

After Pedri pleaded with the board to consider insufficient training concerns raised by election staffers “up to their eyeballs” processing mail-in ballot applications and making other preparations, three board members agreed to his paper ballot plan — Keith Gould, Audrey Serniak and Vice Chairman Peter Ouellette.

Locations

A board majority also approved Pedri’s polling place consolidation plan reducing voting locations from 144 to 58, with Dombroski-Gebhardt providing a no vote.

Seeking larger spaces to allow for social distancing and more ventilation, the county will hold the election at 29 sites used in the past, seven past locations that will be expanded and 22 new buildings — all schools.

For example, voters in Avoca, Dupont, Duryea and Hughestown will cast ballots at Pittston Area’s Martin L. Mattei Middle School in Pittston instead of prior locations at a social club, church halls, a VFW, borough building and fire stations.

The county will publicly advertise and post the new locations on the election page at www.luzernecounty.org.

When moving the primary from April 28 to June 2, state officials authorized counties to reduce polling place locations by up to 60% due to concerns about a lack of poll workers and building owners willing to allow crowds into their properties.

Most of the more than 700 workers typically manning county polling places are over 65 and more vulnerable to the coronavirus, Pedri has said.

As a result, the election board voted Wednesday to increase poll worker pay for the 2020 primary and general.

The election day compensation — $100 for clerks, $125 for machine operators and inspectors and $150 for judges — will be increased to $200 for judges and $195 for the others, Adames said.

Ouellette encouraged residents, particularly the unemployed, to apply for poll worker openings through the county website, saying the pay increase makes it “more attractive.”

“We need your help,” he said.

Mail-in

The county has received 24,050 applications to date from county voters who want to cast their ballots by mail — an option now available to all registered voters that has been pushed statewide amid the coronavirus.

Pedri said he expects another 5,000 to 10,000 mail-in applications before the May 26 deadline.

Responding to inquiries from candidates during public comment, county Election Director Shelby Watchilla said she wants to release complete unofficial results on election night but cannot predict the likelihood of that happening until the total number of mail-in voters is known.

Unless state legislators approve a change, counties can’t start opening, scanning and tabulating absentee/mail-in ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day.

Some election board members complained during Wednesday’s meeting they have largely been kept in the dark about election preparations, particularly when they were asked to vote on a proclamation officially stating all candidates after ballots already have started going out to mail-in voters.

Pedri blamed some miscommunication on the pandemic but promised to provide regular updates to the board.

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