Luzerne County’s new ballot drop boxes have arrived

Luzerne County’s four new mail box-style drop boxes have arrived, but county officials have not yet decided where they will be placed leading up to the Nov. 2 general election.

The county’s volunteer citizen Election Board had planned to discuss and possibly approve locations at Wednesday’s meeting, but board members decided to halt and postpone the session after concerns were raised about an error code with one of two online links for those choosing to attend virtually instead of in person.

Both links had been activated before the meeting by the county’s Information Technology department, but computer users couldn’t connect if they already had the county page open and did not refresh the page, according to the administration. Going forward, the board decided to continue holding in-person/virtual “hybrid” meetings, but with an advertised disclaimer that the remote attendance option would be attempted but not guaranteed.

A new meeting date will be announced as soon as possible, said Election Board Chairwoman Denise Williams.

County Election Director Bob Morgan and Deputy Election Director Eryn Harvey were at the courthouse in Wilkes-Barre for the meeting and provided the newspaper with updates on the drop boxes and other topics they had planned to discuss.

The bureau is still reviewing drop box location options in Mountain Top and the Back Mountain, although a recommendation for each region has not been finalized.

Some sites in these areas have been ruled out because they are not equipped with security cameras or have insufficient space within camera range to house a box.

If the bureau’s suggestion is accepted by the board, the two remaining boxes would be at the Pittston Memorial Library and Hazleton City Hall.

The county also would continue offering a counter-top drop box at its Penn Place building in downtown Wilkes-Barre.

Board members wanted to switch to postal-style boxes inside non-county buildings because they are too heavy and bulky to steal.

Locations hosting boxes must agree to retain video surveillance recordings for 60 days after the election and provide them to the county upon request. A sticker on the front of the boxes also will warn voters they are only permitted to deposit their own ballot and that they are under video surveillance and subject to criminal charges if they tamper with the box.

Morgan said the deposit slot on the boxes is small, alleviating concerns they would be wide enough to allow other items to be thrown in.

“You can’t fit much more than an envelope in there,” Morgan said.

A formal written policy on retrieving and transporting the ballots also has been implemented by the election bureau.

During public comment before Wednesday’s meeting was terminated, county Councilman Walter Griffith, a candidate for county controller, said he will have observers at the drop box locations and believes they have the right to question if someone drops off more than one ballot.

The only exception to the one-ballot mandate involves disabled voters who can complete and sign an official government form designating a third party to deliver a ballot on their behalf.

Ballots should be sent to voters who requested them starting the week of Oct. 11, Morgan said. The bureau is awaiting a test file from its outside printing vendor and must perform internal reviews to ensure they are accurately read by scanners/tabulators before they can be mailed, he said.

In other updates from Morgan and Harvey:

• Mass alerts — The bureau is working with a nonprofit outside entity on a notification program that can send mass alerts to poll workers on Election Day — something the board is requiring after delays communicating a ballot header mislabeling error in the May primary election. The bureau has a backup plan to use a county emergency alert program Nov. 2 if more time is needed to execute the other option.

• Poll vacancies — Bureau workers are in the process of contacting judges of elections to identify any poll worker vacancies that must be filled for the general. Morgan said he is confident at least some new workers who stepped up in the primary are willing to fill in as needed again.

• Machine testing — The bureau will perform required “logic and accuracy” testing of the electronic ballot marking devices and scanners/tabulators next week. Scheduling details will be announced soon for interested observers to attend.

• Consultant — The Elections Group, which was retained for $70,000 to assist the bureau through the general election, has been providing helpful input and assisted in the development of an extensive checklist of tasks that must be performed for the upcoming election.

• Polling places — The bureau is confirming the availability of all polling places for the general election and will know by Friday if any sites must be switched.