Luzerne County Election Board to discuss access requests

Two denied requests for access by Luzerne County’s Election Board are slated for discussion at Wednesday’s board meeting, the agenda said.

In the first request, the board wanted to search for November 2022 general election mail ballot drop box return logs at the voting equipment warehouse that are needed to determine if the log numbers match the voter count on surveillance cameras.

The second request is for an election board visit to the warehouse to learn about security upgrades that had been funded by a state Election Integrity Grant.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo has said — and reaffirmed Monday — that such requests must wait until after the April 23 primary election because staff is engrossed in election preparations.

Crocamo said Monday at least two bureau workers must be present at the warehouse and possibly a sheriff deputy due to the heightened requirements involved in election equipment and records. She cited a lengthy list of election tasks underway.

“We just don’t have the manpower. We don’t have the time,” Crocamo said.

County Election Board Chairwoman Denise Williams said Monday she can accept that argument for the request to search for logs but said she believes the security tour is warranted before the primary. A tour would take an hour or two and could be conducted by Crocamo or another administrative staffer familiar with the upgrades if the bureau administration is too busy, she said.

Williams also maintained she had started requesting the drop box return logs at the end of 2023 and was not informed about the work involved in accessing them until recent weeks.

She wants a legal opinion on both requests and the board’s authority so it is not “continuously blocked” if it seeks information and records in a period before an election.

Crocamo said she herself does not have individual access to the warehouse and would need two bureau employees and a sheriff deputy with her during any tour to conform to pristine security protocols.

“I’m not blocking them. It’s just timing. We cannot divert resources from the bureau for a tour. Preparing for the presidential primary and a ballot that includes a government study commission requires triage and intense concentration on the task at hand.”

She referred the board to the election tasks calendar that is now regularly compiled by the bureau on each deadline that must be met for ballot proofing, issuing mail ballots, lining up and training poll workers, locking in polling places, processing voter registrations and other responsibilities.

“Just let us do our job, and when the primary is over they can have their tour,” Crocamo said.

The drop box return logs are of interest because board Vice Chairwoman Alyssa Fusaro publicly highlighted figures at the Feb. 21 board meeting from a sample review of 2022 general election drop box surveillance footage conducted by two prior election board members last year.

Both prior board members — Democrat Audrey Serniak and Republican James Mangan — said no absolute conclusions can be made on their findings unless the original return logs are located because a spreadsheet summary compiled by the bureau may be inaccurate.

When compared to the bureau spreadsheet, Serniak and Mangan said the number of voters dropping off ballots in two locations was significantly lower than the number of ballots recorded as received.

The election bureau does not have a handy copy of these original “chain of custody” return forms required when teams of sheriff deputies deliver drop box contents to the bureau. Paperwork associated with the November 2022 general election is stored in approximately 100 boxes at the warehouse, and a worker did not find any boxes labeled as containing the return logs.

On the subject of security upgrades, the board voted in October in support of the administration’s election integrity plan that included $104,600 to Johnson Controls for that project.

“I do believe the board has authority to request a tour and overview of what is in place security-wise prior to this coming election. That is our role,” Williams said. “I don’t think it’s an unreasonable request in helping to build public trust and confidence.”

Wednesday’s board meeting is at 6 p.m. in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, with instructions for the remote attendance option posted under council’s authorities/boards/commissions online meeting link at luzernecounty.org.