Luzerne County mail ballot processing update

Approximately 19,000 Luzerne County mail ballots were unsealed and prepped for election night tallying by 2:40 p.m. Tuesday, said Election Board Chairwoman Denise Williams.

There are still more than 20,000 left to process.

The mail ballot envelope opening and ballot scanning — known as pre-canvassing — started Tuesday morning at the county’s Penn Place Building in downtown Wilkes-Barre.

By law, counties cannot start uploading mail ballot results — known as canvassing — until the polls close at 8 p.m.

Observation of pre-canvassing and canvassing is limited to political party officials and candidates or their representatives, and all observers must have watcher certificates obtained through the election bureau, officials have said.

The state’s Tuesday morning daily mail ballot report indicated the county had logged the receipt of 39,248 ballots, which is the source of the statement that more than 20,000 must be processed.

However, Williams said that Tuesday morning figure did not factor in several thousand ballots and those that are arriving today by mail and in the Penn Place ballot drop box.

She projects the county will end up receiving approximately 44,000 ballots by the 8 p.m. deadline.

The county has assigned 35 to 40 workers to the pre-canvassing, Williams said.

“They’re plugging away,” Williams said. “We’re processing, processing, processing.”

County Manager Romilda Crocamo said the group includes many seasoned workers, and she is keeping close tabs on the pre-canvassing progress.

“If I need to bring in more assistance I will, but so far what’s being reported to me is that we’re really moving things along,” Crocamo said.

Both county party leaders — Republican Chairman Gene Ziemba and Democratic Chairman Thomas Shubilla — said they checked in on the pre-canvassing and continue to monitor progress.

The county must issue an unofficial tally of ballots, including mail ones, by midnight on election night as a condition for its acceptance of a state election integrity grant.

State legislation authorizing this grant also requires participating counties to remain in place and continue tallying until the unofficial count is completed instead of halting the count and returning the next day, officials said.

Mail ballots must be physically in the election bureau by 8 p.m. election night, and postmarks don’t count.

The only option is the drop box inside Penn Place, which is located at 20 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre.

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.