The election board is unlike other Luzerne County boards because its volunteer members put in many full days of unpaid work after every election reviewing ballots, processing write-in votes and addressing other time-sensitive decisions in adjudication.
Their work can’t be taken lightly because decisions are subject to court challenges and intense public scrutiny as all election matters are viewed under a microscope.
Board members started broaching this complex subject at last week’s partial certification of the April 23 primary election and plan a full discussion at the board’s next regular meeting on June 12.
The topic came up during public comment at the certification because Ross Township resident Jamie Walsh said he attended much of the five-member board’s adjudication as a candidate for state representative and noticed “a lot of absence” by board member Rick Morelli.
“The board was down and really needed someone there,” Walsh said. “I just want to make sure in the fall we have a full board there as much as we possibly can.”
Expressing appreciation for the comment, Morelli said the board’s daytime workload and schedule prompted him to seek discussion at next month’s meeting.
Noting he participated in adjudication as much as possible, Morelli said the county’s home rule government structure, which he helped draft, aimed to get more people involved in county government, including those with full-time employment.
He called for more efficiency in the adjudication process and said election bureau workers — not the board — should be handling the itemizing of write-in votes, which is a time-consuming task involving manual entry each time a new name or spelling variation pops up on a screen.
Processing write-ins from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for several days is “not the job of the board,” he said, noting more staff support would be needed for the bureau to take on that task.
Morelli also said he is fine with a board quorum making decisions as the adjudication unfolds and said matters that are more subjective could be set aside and scheduled for decision at specific times when all board members are available.
“Nobody in their right mind with a job who wants to participate in this government is going to give up three weeks each election —and not get paid anything — to do this,” said Morelli, a prior county council member who was appointed to the election board in January.
Election Board Chairwoman Denise Williams agreed the board may be able to “back off” on helping with some tasks because the bureau is now “in a really good space” with leadership.
The board took on more work in recent years largely due to repeated election bureau leadership turnover, she said.
”Much of the leadership did not even realize — I’m sorry to say — how to even do the write-in process, whereas the board knew how to do it,” Williams said. “So the board was doing a lot of helping to get through the write-in process because the board recognized the need and stepped in and helped out.”
If the county administration agrees to have the bureau take on more write-in work, Williams said written standards must be in place to ensure those assisting fully understand the procedures.
And the board can’t be completely hands-off because the write-in portion of adjudication also involves ballots that have been flagged for other reasons, such as voters circling selections instead of shading in ovals or not fully darkening the ovals next to their choices, Williams said.
“Board oversight is definitely necessary for any type of process, but I agree it could be done by county employees who are trained appropriately to do this with oversight,” Williams said.
Williams said a past election board member ended up resigning because she could not sufficiently participate in daytime adjudication due to her employment. As a result, a council committee that interviews board applicants agreed to Williams’ suggestion to inform prospective election board members of the need to be available for full days for a week or two after each election due to adjudication in case that is an issue.
“Out of fairness to all board members who make the commitment to be there, it’s important we all do our part because we are making and determining votes of the county, and I think they’re all counting on us to be present for the adjudication process,” Williams said.
Morelli said the board must discuss the matter in-depth at the June meeting to find a way to make the process more efficient for those who want to serve on the board.
“It’s nice to be tedious, but it’s also to the point of questioning how much is overboard,” he said.
Board Vice Chairwoman Alyssa Fusaro said she looks forward to a full discussion on “how we can make our election board better,” including ideas proposed by Morelli.
“I’d also like to hear everything everybody has to say,” Fusaro said.
Fusaro reminded her colleagues they were speaking about the matter during the period of the certification meeting reserved for public comment. Board deliberation should occur during the June meeting so the public can be alerted in advance through posting of the agenda, she said.
Morelli sent an email Friday to county Manager Romilda Crocamo, Acting Election Director Emily Cook and Acting Election Deputy Director Steve Hahn expressing deep appreciation for their hard work in the April 23 primary.
He also requested their input at the June board meeting on potential strategies to provide more resources for the election bureau.
“In light of the growing demands and complexities of our electoral processes, I would like to discuss the need for additional support and staffing within the election bureau,” he wrote. “Romilda, your leadership has been exemplary, but it is clear that to maintain and enhance the efficiency and integrity of our elections, we must invest in further resources and personnel which I am sure you agree with.”
Crocamo said the administration is committed to offering assistance and support to the election board in processing all post-election day votes, including write-in ballots.
“The adjudication process plays a crucial role in ensuring the efficiency and timeliness of the election results. By working together towards a common goal, we can achieve great things for our community and the democratic process,” Crocamo said.
During the certification meeting, prior election board member Audrey Serniak, of Plains Township, said the state’s implementation of mail ballot voting prompted a “massive change” to the board’s adjudication process.
Election board adjudication was shorter and less formal prior to the 2020 addition of mail ballots with no excuse required, said Serniak, who has expressed support for the mail ballot option.
An “amazing amount of work” and procedures were necessary to ensure mail ballot votes are properly counted, she said.
Serniak also cited “bipartisan tension that has developed in our politics” as another reason the election board has been forced to get more involved in post-election reviewing.
Walsh said he has a “whole new appreciation” for the sacrifice board members are making watching them “work tirelessly” for weeks.
Albert Schlosser and Daniel Schramm also serve on the board.
“What I’ve witnessed — the dedication and commitment — I was blown away,” Walsh said. “Thanks for your service to the community.”