Luzerne County authorizes release of requested Nov. 7 general election mail ballots

After final testing Friday, Luzerne County’s Election Bureau gave the go-ahead for its outside vendor to print and send Nov. 7 general election mail ballots to approximately 22,000 county voters who requested them to date, said county Deputy Election Director Emily Cook.

Voters should start receiving the ballots next week, Cook said.

Pennsylvania-based NPC Inc., the county’s printing vendor, agreed to the county’s request to transport the ballots to the U.S. Postal Service distribution center in the Lehigh Valley so they will arrive sooner at residences here, Cook said.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo had set a goal to send out ballots well before the statutory deadline so voters who promptly fill them out will have the option of using regular mail to return them.

The statutory deadline for the county to send out mail ballots is not until Oct. 24, which would leave only two weeks before the Nov. 7 general for voters to receive the ballots through the U.S. Postal Service, fill them out and return them.

Mail ballots must be physically in the election bureau by 8 p.m. on election night, and postmarks do not count.

Cook said she is “excited and relieved” the bureau was able to issue the ballots early.

“It’s important because it gives the voters a great opportunity to receive their ballots in a timely fashion and to return their ballots on time,” Cook said.

Bureau officials anticipate fewer voters will use drop boxes because they now have ample time to rely on regular mail for returns.

Drop boxes

The election bureau has posted a list and available hours of the four drop boxes on the bureau’s page at luzernecounty.org.

• Misericordia University, Passan Hall, 100 Lake St., Dallas — weekdays 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; weekends 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Hazleton Exchange Building, 100 W. Broad St., Hazleton — weekdays 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• Wright Manor (main lobby), 460 S. Main Road, Mountain Top — weekdays 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., weekends 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

• Penn Place (main lobby), 20 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre — weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

In addition, a countertop box is available in the election bureau on the second floor at Penn Place.

The state deadline to apply for mail ballots is Oct. 31, although officials have urged voters interested in the option to request them sooner if possible because that date is only one week before the general election.

Reminders

Mail voters receive instructions, a ballot, an unmarked white secrecy envelope and an outer envelope that contains the voter’s name and a label with a bar code that, when scanned, identifies that voter in the state’s database.

After filling out their ballot, voters must place it in the secrecy envelope, seal it and then put that envelope inside the one with the label/barcode to be returned to the county.

Some reminders to ensure mail ballots are counted:

• Don’t write anything on the outside of the secrecy envelope, especially names or identifying marks.

• Sign and date the outer envelope where indicated. The date refers to when the ballot was filled out, not a birth date.

• Fully shade in the ovals on the ballot and don’t mark choices with an X or slash.

• Be careful not to select more than the specified number of candidates.

• Only one ballot should be placed inside a secrecy or mailing envelope. The county cannot count multiple ballots in the same envelope, such as those for a couple, because there would be no way to determine which ballot is tied to the voter listed on the envelope with the bar code.

• Don’t staple or place stickers on the ballot or inner/outer envelopes, particularly over the bar code.

• To cast a write-in vote for a person whose name is not on the ballot, blacken the oval beside the applicable write-in line and write his/her name.

• Fill in the ovals with black or blue ink, although black is preferred.

Under Pennsylvania law, voters are only allowed to mail or hand-deliver their own ballot unless they are serving as a designated agent for someone with a disability. Disabled voters must fill out an official form authorizing someone to deliver their ballot for them. The form is available through this link. This form makes it clear that an individual can only serve as a designated agent for one voter unless the additional voter or voters reside in the same household, such as a disabled couple.

More updates

County Election Director Eryn Harvey encouraged the public to attend Logic and Accuracy testing of the ballot marking devices and other election equipment, which is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the county’s voting warehouse on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre. Attendees access the warehouse through a rear entrance and must pass through a security check.

Oct. 23 is the last day to register to vote in the general election. Voters should check their registration or ballot status by going to pavoterservices.pa.gov.

Voters with questions about their registration should contact the election bureau at 570-825-1715 or by emailing elections@luzernecounty.org.