Dallas City News

Luzerne County’s Housing Authority Board voted Tuesday to table a decision on a mail ballot drop box agreement for its Wright Manor senior living building.

Board members asked authority Solicitor Bruce Anders to obtain more clarification from the county on its new drop box requirements so they would have all the information needed to decide on whether the Mountain Top facility can host a box for the Nov. 5 general election.

County Chief Solicitor Harry W. Skene recently informed both mail ballot drop box hosts not on county government property — Wright Manor and Misericordia University in Dallas — that they must agree to hold the county harmless for “anything that happens relating to the drop box” for the Nov. 5 general.

Skene’s communication said the county cannot secure boxes on non-county property. For the boxes to be in use for the general election, the entities must sign agreements accepting full responsibility for “providing whatever it takes to secure the drop box and protect the public,” it said.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo has said she has “very serious safety concerns” for the upcoming election, including the securing of drop boxes.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Anders said the authority board has always cooperated with the county regarding election issues, but he and Authority Executive Director Barry Yohey have questions that must be answered in the proposed agreement.

“We certainly aren’t going to sign it the way it is written now,” Anders said. “We need to make sure that we have these issues ironed out before we sign any agreements.”

The proposed agreement would start Oct. 1.

Because the board’s next meeting is not until after that date, board members agreed they will hold an emergency meeting to vote on the matter if necessary.

Oct. 22 is the deadline to issue requested mail ballots for the Nov. 5 general, but county officials strive to send them out sooner so voters have ample time to receive, complete and return them by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Anders said one of his concerns is proposed agreement wording that could require Wright Manor to extract a copy of the surveillance footage from the video recording system and deliver it to the county. Anders said the authority is not trained in election procedures or qualified to perform that task.

The county administration said the county information technology and election bureau would continue handling the footage retrieval.

Another point mentioned Tuesday is that the drop box is located in the Wright Manor entrance vestibule. Inner security doors prevent public access to the senior living facility for those 62 and older, but the outer doors to the vestibule remain unlocked.

The Wright Manor box was added for the 2023 primary election as a replacement site for the Wright Township Volunteer Fire Department, which had notified the county its fire station would no longer host a box.

A county election board majority added the drop box at Misericordia University’s Passan Hall for the 2022 primary to serve Back Mountain voters.

The county’s two other drop boxes have been set up inside the county-owned Broad Street Exchange in Hazleton and Penn Place Building in Wilkes-Barre.

Misericordia Chief of Staff Jim Roberts said Tuesday the university has several questions and is awaiting a response from the county.

“We want to understand directly from them the intent of the document,” Roberts said. “We’re hopeful to have a conversation to further this process along.”

Roberts said the university has been glad to provide a box for county residents but “needs a better understanding of the new requirements” before determining whether it can continue that public service.

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