Luzerne County Courthouse.
                                 File photo

Luzerne County Courthouse.

File photo

Luzerne County’s administration has formed an eight-member elections task force to identify state election law problems and seek legislative change, according to a Wednesday announcement to council.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo sought the task force after the Nov. 5 general election “following the trials experienced by county election officials and voters across the Commonwealth,” said Wednesday’s announcement from Jim Rose, county administrative services division head.

“The Luzerne County Elections Task Force combines experienced members of the county administration, bi-partisan citizen advocates and elected officials,” it said. “In the coming months, it is our goal to provide updates to the voters of the county with our findings.”

In addition to Rose, the following will serve on the task force: John Lombardo, county council chairman; Patty Krushnowski, councilwoman; Rick Morelli, election board member; and Michelle Rothenbecker, Linda Joseph, Debra Jordan and T.J. Fitzgerald, citizens.

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County officials have called for state election code updates to address issues encountered in the election, including those surrounding mail ballot drop boxes, deadlines for voter registration and mail ballot applications and on-demand mail ballot voting.

“This task force will be meeting to review various facets of Pennsylvania election law and policy in order to encourage our legislature to bring about meaningful and effective changes for the elections administrators and voters alike,” Rose’s announcement said.

Lombardo said Wednesday he welcomes the opportunity to work with the others, noting he was informed the four citizens had reached out to the administration to volunteer.

“I’m looking forward to putting together concrete steps that can be taken by state legislators to fix the issues that we’ve experienced,” Lombardo said.

Joseph, a Republican from Wilkes-Barre, has been closely monitoring elections, including attending numerous post-election adjudication sessions. She said Wednesday she kept many notes about election board and bureau procedures and is eager to delve into inner workings and possible revisions to improve the state election law.

Fitzgerald, a Republican from Newport Township, said he looks forward to this opportunity to educate the public on election laws and what can and cannot be changed to improve election processes.

“I want to be transparent and try to make sure our system is as perfect as it can be,” Fitzgerald said.

The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania included mail ballot voting reform in its three 2025 legislative priorities announced Wednesday.

“Counties support resolving the ambiguities and gaps in the Election Code for which counties need clarity and uniformity, including provisions related to the law on counties’ authority to use drop boxes for mail-in ballots as was well clear and concise guidelines for curing ballot defects and third parties sending in mail-in ballot applications,” said the CCAP announcement, which also identified the priorities of funding for county 911 and mental health systems.

In another post-election initiative, Crocamo said Wednesday the county law office is still compiling a comprehensive “after-action analysis” of the Nov. 5 general election cycle, which will evaluate county procedures and provide “actionable recommendations for improvement.”

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.