Luzerne County activates online portal to view campaign finance reports

The public can once again instantly view Luzerne County campaign finance reports through an online database without having to submit a request for information.

Request forms to view reports had been required since June.

The county Election Bureau had implemented that change due to concerns about releasing the home addresses of candidates and elected officials following the June shooting deaths of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their residence and another shooting that seriously wounded state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, at their house, county Election Director Emily Cook said at the time.

Prior county controller Walter Griffith had proposed hiring an outside vendor to redact addresses. The Election Bureau finalized a $23,000 contract with EasyVote Solutions in October to implement an online database with candidate addresses and phone numbers redacted.

That database was activated on Thursday through a link on the Election Bureau’s page at luzernecounty.org.

It generates a list of all candidates and committees, with drop-down arrows to view each available report, including the 2025 annual reports, which were due last month.

A column specifies the elected office associated with the candidate and campaign — an addition that helps those interested in researching particular municipal, school, or county offices.

Reports for countywide political action committees are also included in the database.

The portal provides reports for both active and inactive candidates and committees.

Cook said she and her staff performed extensive work redacting past-filed documents and uploading reports to “ensure a smooth transition.”

The new EasyVote database makes it easier for the public to pinpoint reports of interest, Cook said.

“It’s been part of our commitment to modernize operations within the department and provide voters, candidates, and committees with a higher level of service and transparency,” she said.

Going forward, candidates and committees will receive instructions on registering in the new system and electronically filing their reports, Cook said.

The system includes a “filing wizard” that walks candidates and committees through the steps they need to e-file reports, she said.

Finance reports filed by candidates for statewide, legislative, and judicial offices — and political committees registered in Pennsylvania — may be viewed on the Pennsylvania Department of State site at www.campaignfinanceonline.pa.gov.