Cuomo book on NY pandemic outbreak short on state missteps

125824779_web1_125824779-89a5d75b8c7e46668c0d5f45728f8b97

Mail-in ballot requests pass 2.6M in Pennsylvania

Luzerne County Council unanimously voted Tuesday to initiate an inquiry into the county election bureau, prompted largely by the premature unsealing and discarding of nine overseas mail-in military ballots by a temporary worker.
				Councilwoman Linda McClosky Houck proposed the examination of bureau policies, practices and procedures &mdash; including its supervision, staffing and handling of ballots &mdash; to &ldquo;ensure the conduct of authentic and valid&rdquo; county elections.
				An ad hoc committee of at least three council members selected by the council chair will oversee the inquiry.
				Councilwoman Sheila Saidman proposed delaying the inquiry until after the Nov. 3 election is tallied and certified, expressing concerns the process would take the bureau away from election preparations. However, council Chairman Tim McGinley was the only colleague among the 10 present to support her amendment. Councilman Chris Perry was absent.
				Councilman Harry Haas said preventative action is warranted before Nov. 3 because the discarding of ballots was &ldquo;serious.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;There is an extreme amount of distrust out there,&rdquo; Haas said.
				An inquiry should be viewed as mitigation and not an attempt to &ldquo;get in the election bureau&rsquo;s way&rdquo; as it prepares for the general, said Councilman Stephen J. Urban.
				Having &ldquo;extra eyes on the process right now&rdquo; could help &ldquo;restore that faith and confidence in the entire process,&rdquo; Urban said.
				&ldquo;Maybe we can assist them,&rdquo; Councilman Walter Griffith said.
				McClosky Houck said many issues and questions about the bureau and its oversight have surfaced this year and should be discussed. She also wants to find out how the bureau recruits and supervises seasonal workers and clarify the election board&rsquo;s role.
				&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s time to get everybody together in one room and have an open discussion about it,&rdquo; McClosky Houck said.
				Saidman stressed an inquiry is not the same as a criminal investigation by law enforcement to determine if charges are warranted in connection with the discarded ballots.
				Chief Solicitor Romilda Crocamo told council the federal investigation is still ongoing and has not concluded.
				A temporary independent contractor was responsible for the discarded ballots and immediately removed from service when Election Bureau Director Shelby Watchilla discovered and reported problems with the ballots, county Manager C. David Pedri has said.
				Investigators found no issues beyond the nine that had been discarded during the three-day period the temporary worker was employed &mdash; Sept. 14 to 16, Pedri has said. County officials have not identified the temporary worker.
				Pedri said training has increased for all workers, seasonal and full-time. The county is in the process of contacting the impacted voters and will be working with the state to &ldquo;ensure that these ballots are counted,&rdquo; he has said.

Luzerne County Council to perform election bureau inquiry