Luzerne County Election Board awaiting mail ballot court ruling

Luzerne County’s Election Board postponed a decision on purchasing a mailbox-style ballot drop box for the county’s Penn Place Building in downtown Wilkes-Barre Wednesday, largely due to continued uncertainty about the status of mail ballot voting.

The $3,200 box had been contemplated by the election bureau because the smaller counter-top box in the building’s lobby fills up quickly leading up to the election, requiring more frequent collections.

However, board Chairwoman Denise Williams suggested waiting for a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on the legality of mail ballot voting, saying she is hopeful it will be issued soon.

The legality of mail voting is still up in the air because three Republican Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court judges ruled in January that the constitution must be amended to allow mail voting without an excuse or reason to be supplied by voters. The state administration immediately appealed to the state Supreme Court, triggering an automatic stay that keeps the mail ballot provisions in effect pending the outcome of adjudication.

Williams said she does not want the county to pay for a drop box it may not be able to use due to a court ruling, and the others agreed. Alyssa Fusaro, Jim Mangan, Danny Schramm and Audrey Serniak also serve on the board. The board did not get into the frequent general debate over whether drop boxes should be used by the county.

The board also unanimously voted against seeking a $15,000 summary report from The Elections Group, a consultant that had been paid $70,000 to assist with meeting deadlines and setting up procedures in the county’s November 2021 general election. A written report of findings and recommendations was not part of the contract.

Williams said she witnessed the improvements resulting from The Election Group’s input and does not believe a final summary is needed.

Fusaro said she believes “things are running pretty smoothly” and that the bureau and board understand what must be addressed.

Election Director Michael Susek said he and his staff are focused on using the time between elections to improving processes and efficiencies.

Mangan said he was very impressed with operation of the primary election and said the board will continue working with the bureau to identify process improvements.

Serniak said a procedure manual should be a top priority of the bureau because too many prior workers have left without any written protocol for successors.

In other business, the board:

• Elected Mangan board vice chairman.

• Tabled a vote on spending $1,500 annually for a post office box to accept election bureau mail, including mail ballots. Mail for Penn Place offices, including the election bureau, is processed through a county courthouse mail room and brought to Penn Place by building and grounds workers. Board members had more questions about the specifics and wanted a legal review.