After exhausting other efforts, a team of approximately a dozen Luzerne County employees worked into Monday evening manually entering returned mail ballots that were not registering in the online public ballot tracker.
The tracker refreshing was necessary for an accurate status of mail ballot returns and to prevent voters from unnecessarily having to resort to paper provisional ballots out of a fear their mail ballots were not received.
County officials advised voters to check or recheck the tracker Monday night or on Election Day before determining if they must head to the polls.
Available at pavoterservices.pa.gov, the tracker requires voters to enter their name, birth date and county.
The county election bureau consulted with the Pennsylvania Department of State throughout the day Monday to figure out why some ballots were still marked as “pending/not yet returned” in the online tracker, even though they had been received by the bureau.
This situation was confirmed in several cases Monday morning.
One involved two college students who were preparing for the possibility they would be forced to return home to cast provisional ballots at their polling place.
Another was a couple currently in Wisconsin on a trip with no option to get to the polls.
In these and at least three other instances reported to the Times Leader, the county election bureau confirmed the voters’ ballots were scanned in as received while the online ballot tracker still logged them as pending.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo said the election bureau had recorded the receipt of 40,069 completed mail ballots by Sunday night.
However, the state’s daily mail ballot report posted Monday morning indicated 32,901 mail ballots had been received in the county to date — 7,168 fewer.
Because county Election Director Emily Cook already had uploaded the received mail ballots through the county’s automated ballot sorter — in some cases twice — Crocamo said Cook decided to manually enter them in smaller batches.
The Department of State provided this response:
“The Department has been working with Luzerne County officials for a few weeks to ensure they are able to properly record received mail ballots and their statuses for the ballot tracker. We continue to provide guidance and support to county officials as they work through this.”
In addition to inconveniencing voters, provisional ballots increase the research and review required on the back end before the board can vote on certifying the results.
The county Election Board must review provisional ballots last during its post-election adjudication to verify these voters did not cast a mail ballot and that everything else is in order. Votes from provisional ballots are added to the unofficial results as these ballots are accepted during public adjudication, which starts on Friday.
Voter alert: the details are important for provisional ballots to be counted. They must be placed in a secrecy envelope, which is then inserted in an outer envelope.
Three signatures — two from the voter and one from the judge of elections — are required on the outer envelope for the vote to count. Voters must sign one side of the envelope when they receive the ballot and the other when they turn it in and are advised to ensure the judge of elections signs before they walk away, election board members said.
Manager statement
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, and lines are common in presidential elections.
“We encourage all voters to plan their visits accordingly,” Crocamo said.
She issued the following statement on the eve of the election:
“While we strive for a seamless process, there may be instances where poll workers and judges face delays or are unable to arrive on time. In such cases, it is important to note that poll workers and judges will need to power up the voting machines before the polls can officially open. We appreciate your patience as these necessary preparations are made.
If you encounter any issues while voting, please report them directly to the election judge before leaving the polling location. This will help ensure that any problems are addressed appropriately and promptly.
We would like to emphasize that we will not be monitoring or responding to inquiries posted on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, or X. Our focus is on providing a secure and efficient voting environment.
Furthermore, we take the integrity of the election process very seriously. Any disruptions or acts of violence will be met with a swift and severe response to maintain the safety and security of all participants. Our law enforcement is at the ready.
Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to exercising your right to vote. Luzerne County respects the rule of law, not violence. Together, we can ensure a fair and peaceful Election Day.”
Some other updates:
• Curing
The county’s election board compiled a list Monday of 283 mail ballots with missing secrecy envelopes or outer envelope voter signatures or dates that will prevent them from being counted. The list was provided to county political party leaders so they have an opportunity to contact impacted voters advising them of their opportunity to cast a provisional ballot at their polling place — a process known as curing. The board will provide additional curing lists around noon and 4 p.m. on Election Day, said board Chairwoman Denise Williams.
• Drop box
For those still planning to return mail ballots, they must be physically in the county election bureau by 8 p.m. on Election Day. The only option is the drop box at the county-owned Penn Place Building, 20 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre, which will be available from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Mail voters who received but did not return their ballot also can bring the ballot package that was sent to them — the ballot and envelopes — to their polling place so it can be voided, allowing them to vote on the ballot marking device at their polling place.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.