Election workers in Luzerne County aim to process all outstanding voter registration applications by working late Thursday night, said Romilda Crocamo, the county administrator.
In an email sent Thursday afternoon, Crocamo said the elections office has about 1,200 registration applications to process, but the goal is to complete all applications by the end of the work day, which will extend into the evening.
The last day to register to vote in the Nov. 5 election was Monday, and Crocamo said at the Board of Elections meeting Wednesday evening that there were still about 2,500 registration applications pending.
With the deadline having passed, the District will not need to process any further registration applications once all outstanding applications are completed.
But that’s not the case for mail-in ballot applications. The county had about 5,300 outstanding ballot requests as of Thursday afternoon, Crocamo said.
She said the target date for tracking ballot requests is the end of this week. However, the county will continue to receive mail-in ballot applications until the deadline, which is Tuesday, October 29.
Staff from the elections office and other county departments are working nights and weekends to process registration requests and ballot requests, Crocamo said Wednesday night.
She added that many of the registration requests were duplicates, submitted by people who were already registered to vote but did not opt out of automatic voter registration when they renewed their driver’s license.
Crocamo issued a statement thanking Elections Director Emily Cook, Deputy Elections Director Steve Hahn “and all the dedicated elections workers who have tirelessly contributed to the democratic process in our community.”
The statement continued:
“Emily and Steve, along with their team, went above and beyond, working long hours to ensure every vote was counted and every voice was heard.
Their efforts not only uphold the democratic values we hold dear, but also inspire confidence in our electoral system. Through the hard work of people like Emily and Steve, we can feel secure in the knowledge that our elections are run fairly and transparently.
I commend their exceptional service and dedication to our community. Let us recognize and celebrate the vital role of all election workers who work behind the scenes to ensure our democracy thrives.
Thank you, Emily, Steve, and all election workers, for your amazing contribution to our community. Your hard work does not go unnoticed, and we are truly grateful.
Originally Posted: October 24, 2024 at 5:06 p.m
