As part of promises to step up tracking and public disclosure of election preparations, Luzerne County’s election bureau has released an extensive list of tasks and their status of completion.
In an email presenting the report to council, county Manager Romilda Crocamo said there are a “number of complicated tasks that need to be completed” for the Nov. 7 general election.
“We appear to be up-to-date on getting the tasks in motion. Anything noted as ‘in progress’ at this points are tasks which we are waiting on a third party (shipment, data, appointments, etc.) to update as complete,” Crocamo wrote.
The report will be updated weekly and posted on the county election bureau page at luzernecounty.org, she said.
A release from county Election Director Eryn Harvey and acting Deputy Election Director Emily Cook said publicly disclosure of the bureau’s management calendar will “provide transparency and insight into the preparation and operations involved with preparing for an election.”
In all, the report lists approximately 50 tasks and identifies which employees are responsible for making sure they are completed. They include ordering materials, executing contracts, proofing, entering data, recruiting poll workers, setting up training and verifying polling place availability.
Other deadlines
The bureau also will be sharing reminders about upcoming deadlines and other pertinent information for the general, Harvey and Cook said.
Some initial reminders:
• Voters should check their registration or ballot status by going to pavoterservices.pa.gov.
• Oct. 23 is the last day to register to vote in the general election.
• The deadline to apply for mail ballots is Oct. 31.
• Voters with questions about their registration should contact the election bureau at 570-825-1715 or by emailing elections@luzernecounty.org.
Ballot marking devices
The county election board unanimously voted last week in support of the bureau’s now-finalized plan to use the electronic ballot marking devices in the Nov. 7 general election.
Paper ballots were used in the primary as as a different approach, but officials concluded the electronic devices are preferred.
County Administrative Services Division Head Jennifer Pecora said all ballot marking devices will be examined and tested before they are deployed. The batteries were replaced in all devices last year, she said.
The bureau has an abundant supply of paper needed for voters to print out their ballots at polling places for review before they scan the paper into a tabulator to be counted, Pecora told the board.
Paper supplies will remain a topic of interest because the bureau did not order enough paper for the November 2022 general election, causing shortages at some polling places and prompting a countywide extension of voting hours to accommodate impacted voters.
As a precaution, Pecora also said she will be ordering additional printer cartridges so extra ones will be available for devices that have ink levels around 50%.
Drop boxes
The county is set to continue offering mail ballot drop boxes at four locations and may provide a fifth.
Continuing past practice, drop boxes will be set up at Misericordia University in Dallas, the Wright Manor assisted living facility in Mountain Top, the county’s Penn Place Building in downtown Wilkes-Barre and the county-owned Broad Street Exchange in downtown Hazleton, officials said.
County Election Board Chairwoman Denise Williams inquired last week about adding a box at the county-owned West Side Annex along Route 11 in Forty Fort.
Williams said a drop box there would help accommodate mail ballot voters impacted by the loss of a box at the Pittston Memorial Library.
Pecora told the board she will assess the West Side Annex suggestion and present a recommendation to the board at its next regularly scheduled meeting Sept. 13.
Campaign finance
The election bureau is setting up a system that will allow candidates and political committees to file campaign finance reports online, Cook told the election board.
The online filing should be activated prior to the second-Friday, pre-election campaign finance reports due Oct. 27, Cook said.
She stressed the bureau will be informing candidates and committees of the new option and how it works in several weeks. The service will make filing more convenient because candidates/committees can submit their reports at any time and do not have to visit the bureau in person during office hours, Cook said.