Luzerne County’s Election Board plans to randomly survey some of the thousands of voters who did not return Nov. 2 general election mail ballots even though they were recorded as requesting and receiving them.
Board Chairwoman Denise Williams proposed the effort during Monday’s board meeting to identify some reasons for the voters’ lack of response, saying it is a “large number” and a “big question mark” for her.
The county election bureau said it sent 25,112 mail ballots, but Williams said only 18,250 were returned and counted by the 8 p.m. Election Day deadline.
Another 458 mail ballots arrived after the deadline, and 269 voters on the mail ballot list voted on paper provisional ballots at the polls Nov. 2, reporting they had never received their mail ballots.
That leaves approximately 6,135 voters who presumably received but did not return mail ballots, Williams said.
“Why would that be?” she asked.
Once the list is disbursed to the board, Williams suggested each of the five volunteer election board members contact 20 to 30 of the Nov. 2 mail ballot recipients to inquire about the reasons their ballots were not cast.
Some board members questioned if this return rate is unusual and asked Deputy Election Director Eryn Harvey to compile the same statistics for prior elections.
According to prior published reports, the county issued 23,209 mail ballots for the May 2021 primary election and ended up receiving approximately 17,000.
Harvey reported Monday that 772 returned mail ballots were not counted in the May primary because they arrived after the deadline. That puts the number not returned at around 5,400, although any provisional ballots cast by mail voters would still have to be deducted.
On the topic of the hundreds of mail ballots that arrived after the deadline in both elections, Williams said the number “disturbs me a lot.”
Williams said the county must strive to mail ballots sooner, saying it is doing a “disservice to citizens” leaving too little time for the ballots to be sent to voters and returned.
“We have to do better than that,” she said.
Also related to mail ballots, the board reported 5,403 voters used a drop box for their return in the November general.
Most — 3,842 — were at the county’s Penn Place building in downtown Wilkes-Barre. The breakdown at the three other drop box locations: Pittston Memorial Library, 884; Wright Township Volunteer Fire Department, 362; and Hazleton City Hall, 315.
New director
Board members are awaiting the hiring of a new election director to push for implementation of three remaining directives intended to improve elections.
These directives involve written election protocols and procedures, website enhancements and job descriptions for all election employees.
Board Vice Chairman Richard Nardone said the board had decided these actions were “critically important” and suggested board representatives meet with the administration to ensure they are addressed by the new director.
Acting County Manager Romilda Crocamo said Monday night she plans to meet with the election board in closed-door executive session soon to discuss the director hiring and hopes to make an announcement on her selection by the end of the week.
The county manager selects the election director but must seek feedback from the election board.
Crocamo also said she has been extensively documenting areas the new director must address based on observations before, during and after the general election.
Prior election directors Bob Morgan left for other employment Oct. 8 after six months on the job.