Luzerne County Election Board discusses mail ballot issues

Luzerne County Election Board members are seeking clarity on what citizens should do with a form required when they drop off a mail ballot on someone else’s behalf.

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.

Election Board Chairwoman Denise Williams said during last week’s meeting there are differing opinions about how the forms must be handled, and everyone should be “on the same page.”

Board member Alyssa Fusaro said a past election director told her the form only had be carried by the designee and not turned in, and she wants to know if that is correct.

“I think we’re all confused as to what we’re supposed to do with it,” Fusaro said.

Election Director Eryn Harvey told the board she checked with the Pennsylvania Department of State last week and was informed voters are supposed to wrap the form around the ballot if they are depositing it in a drop box.

The bureau retains any forms turned in so they can be accessed if needed, Harvey told the board.

Harvey said there are not many forms received, but there is no way to independently track how many disabled voters rely on designees because voters make that decision privately.

Williams said the actual “authorize a designated agent form” instructs voters to contact their county election office for information about how and where to return the form.

It also tells designated agents to retain a copy of the form and keep it on hand when they deliver the mail ballot.

Williams said clear instructions must be presented to voters going forward. During Election Day processing, the board has discovered some voters returning the form inside their outer mailing envelope, she said. She believes many have the form on hand but don’t submit it because they have not been expressly directed to do so.

Harvey concurred with Williams.

In a related topic, Harvey noted the bureau has been focusing on educating nursing and personal care home administrators about the rules surrounding the use of designated agents — an initiative that had been pushed by Fusaro.

As emphasized on the form, 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 occupying a room inside an elderly care facility.

Mail ballot changes

The election board also discussed the state’s new redesign of mail ballot materials intended to reduce voter errors and confusion, starting with the 2024 primary election.

Announced last month, these changes include more understandable instructions, highlighting of fields the voters must complete on the outer envelope and coloring to make it easier for voters to distinguish the outer return envelope and inner secrecy envelope that must contain the ballot.

Counties also will have discretion to use a hole punch in the outer return envelope to help county election workers identify when an inner secrecy envelope is missing, the release said.

Harvey said the election bureau plans to follow the new required directives and is in the process of issuing a request seeking proposals from outside vendors interested in handling the ballot printing.

Williams specifically asked if the county is considering the optional hole punch to detect inner secrecy envelopes.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo said the proposal request will seek pricing on all state changes, including the hole punch. That information can then be used to decide if the option should be pursued, she said.

Harvey questioned whether a hole punch is necessary because the county has a ballot sorting machine purchased before the 2022 general election that segregates those that are too thin because they do not have an inner secrecy envelope.

However, Williams said the sorting machine occasionally fails to detect missing secrecy envelopes, and Fusaro concurred.

Mail ballots can’t be unsealed until Election Day, and the hole punch would allow workers processing the ballots to instantly verify missing secrecy envelopes so they don’t have to take time unsealing those, Williams said.

“I think the hole punch has some merit,” Williams said.