Dallas City News

Luzerne County had a whirlwind Election Day on Tuesday that included strong voter turnout, an unfounded bomb threat and a mix-up over segregated ballots in the 119th Legislative District.

“Every challenge we faced was met with unwavering teamwork and commitment, showcasing our determination to secure a fair, free and safe election,” county Manager Romilda Crocamo said late Tuesday.

Bomb threat

County election workers and officials had to leave the mail ballot processing room on the third floor of the county’s Penn Place Building in downtown Wilkes-Barre for more than an hour Tuesday evening due to a bomb threat against multiple counties.

County sheriff deputies were stationed outside the door containing the ballots, and a bomb detection dog from Lackawanna County was brought in.

Crocamo told observers the county was taking the threat seriously, although it may not turn out to be credible.

Poll watchers and other election officials were permitted to remain on the third floor but not near the room where the ballots were processed. This only impacted mail ballots, as the county was still awaiting election returns from polling places at the time of the lockdown.

Security was enhanced at Penn Place throughout the day, with sheriff deputies stationed at the building’s perimeter and interior.

A legal team of county staff attorneys was also assigned to handle inquiries about a range of issues at polling places, and a steady stream of voters and advocates appeared at the election bureau throughout the day with questions about voter registrations and ballots.

119th race

Mail ballot processing also was halted around 4:30 p.m. because officials realized ballots with the misspelling of 119th Legislative District state representative candidate Alec Ryncavage’s name were in the mix, even though those ballots were supposed to remain segregated, officials said.

Crocamo said a staff member inadvertently included the misspelled ‘Tyncavage” ballots with the replacement Ryncavage ballots. The county was working with the election board and Pennsylvania Department of State to mitigate the issue, she said.

Crocamo emphasized the ballots were not yet scanned in when the problem was detected, and officials were “working backwards” to identify the impacted ballots and resegregate them to address during the election board’s adjudication, which starts Friday.

Ryncavage, the incumbent seeking re-election, said the error was a concern because the ballots were removed from the outer envelopes identifying the voters who cast them.

The county had issued corrected ballots to 6,700 mail ballot voters in the district, but Ryncavage said officials promised the original ballots would be accepted from voters who never cast a second ballot.

He questioned how that can be done because the identity of the voters cannot be established for the misspelled ballots already opened.

During the processing, known as pre-canvassing, workers remove the sealed inner secrecy envelopes from the outer envelope containing the voter’s name. The secrecy envelopes are then shuffled before the ballots are removed so there is no way to link an individual voter to the ballots inside.

Ryncavage said he and his legal counsel met with county officials to discuss the matter.

It was determined the pre-canvassing team would only process 119th District ballots with the correct Ryncavage spelling. The reissued ballots contained a red mark that distinguishes them from the original ones mailed, he said he was informed.

Some voters received original ballots with the correct spelling of Ryncavage’s name, but the county indicated only ones with the red identifier would be counted in the unofficial election night totals.

“The county must ensure there is absolutely zero double-votes cast in this election. It must be one vote per person,” Ryncavage said.

Ryncavage, a Republican, ran against Democrat Megan Kocher.

“It’s really upsetting to see there are more issues impacting the 119th,” said Kocher. “I hope they’re able to reach a timely solution so voters know as soon as possible who their next representative will be.”

Laflin

Borough voters had an extra 90 minutes — until 9:30 p.m. — to cast their ballots because the polling place opened late, officials said.

The county sought county court approval for the extension.

Crocamo said the judge of elections did not appear, delaying the opening until 8:30 a.m.

Online reports of the Laflin polling place running out of paper were false, she said.

Turnout was steady at polling places, as expected in a presidential election year.

On the issue of supplies, Crocamo said the county had a large stock of paper, ink and provisional ballots, and a team of rovers delivered them as needed.

She was not aware of any polling places running out of supplies.

Mail ballots

A team of approximately 35 to 40 workers processed the mail ballots under election board supervision.

Shortly after 11 p.m., the workers had processed approximately 40,160 mail ballots, with more to go.

Mail ballots were issued to 49,677 county voters who requested them, according to the state’s daily report, which means the mail ballot return rate will exceed 81%.

Crocamo thanked county Election Director Emily Cook, the county’s volunteer five-citizen Election Board and poll workers. She also credited workers who sorted the mail ballots, saying “their perseverance has not gone unnoticed.”

“All glory belongs to all election workers for their hard work and dedication,” Crocamo said.

Results remain unofficial because the election board must address provisional ballots and flagged mail ballots at its public adjudication.

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