In response to media requests, Luzerne County’s Election Bureau released figures Thursday on mail ballot drop box usage in the last six elections.
The highest percentage was in the 2023 general election, when 5,376 of the 19,555 mail ballots were returned through drop boxes — 27.5%, it said.
This year’s primary election had the lowest percentage of drop box usage — 17.77%. Of the 19,088 April 23 primary election mail ballots cast, 3,391 were returned through drop boxes.
The percentages of drop box usage in the other four elections:
• 2023 primary — 20.88% (2,710 of 12,981 mail ballots).
• 2022 general — 20.04% (5,376 of 26,828 mail ballots).
• 2022 primary — 24.10% (4,052 of 16,812 mail ballots).
• 2021 general — 18.64% (3,056 of 16,395 mail ballots).
The subject is of interest because county Manager Romilda Crocamo had announced all four drop boxes won’t be deployed for the upcoming Nov. 5 general election due to security and staffing concerns.
Crocamo said the county will send out mail ballots as soon as possible in early October so voters choosing that option have enough time to complete and return them by regular mail.
Mail ballots must be physically in the bureau by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5, and postmarks do not count.
Mail ballot voters also can continue returning their ballots to the county’s Penn Place Building in downtown Wilkes-Barre, but they will have to go through a metal detector and take them to the election bureau on the second floor instead of depositing them in a drop box in the building’s vestibule.
Crocamo said Thursday she is exploring options to expand hours for voters to deliver their mail ballots to the bureau at Penn Place.
As always, disabled voters can have someone return a ballot on their behalf if they complete a designated agent form, which is available with instructions at pa.gov.
There are two ways to vote at the polls if mail ballots were requested and not returned:
• Bring the mail ballot packet, including envelopes, to the polling place to be voided so a ballot can be cast on the ballot marking device.
• Cast a paper provisional ballot at the polling place. The county election board processes provisional ballots during post-election adjudication to verify the voter did not also return a mail ballot.