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A quarter of Luzerne County&rsquo;s registered voters &mdash; 55,000 out of 221,212 &mdash; had checked a box to be placed on a permanent mail ballot list when they initially signed up last year, county officials say.
				As a result, these voters will soon automatically receive mail ballot applications for 2021 elections as required in bipartisan state legislation.
				The county election bureau worked with an outside vendor to mail the applications Friday in compliance with the state legislation&rsquo;s Feb. 1 deadline for this annual mailing, said county Administrative Services Division Head David Parsnik.
				What happens next?
				Voters must fill out and send in these applications if they want to receive mail ballots for the 2021 primary and general elections.
				If the voters do not return the completed applications, they will be permitted to vote in-person on the county&rsquo;s ballot marking devices at their polling place, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.
				Regardless of which option they choose, voters on the permanent mailing list will continue to automatically receive annual mail ballot applications at the start of each year unless they complete a special form to be removed from that status, the state department said.
				The county has posted a notice with a link to this permanent mailing list removal form on the election bureau page at <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/396/Elections" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">luzernecounty.org</a>.
				These forms must be complete their own form, sign it and return it to the election bureau.
				Voters also would be dropped from permanent status if they move to another county and fail to request transfer of that status, the state said.
				More than 2 million voters statewide have signed up for the permanent annual mailing, state officials have said. Pennsylvania is the twelfth state to provide voters with this automatic option.
				Mail ballots with no excuse or justification required were authorized by the state&rsquo;s Act 77 election reform package of 2019, which had been approved by the state&rsquo;s Republican-controlled legislature.
				Supporters say mail ballots should be embraced for convenience and because the option is already available in 31 other states. Critics argue voters should be required to appear in person unless they cite justification to vote absentee, such as job travel or an illness.
				Voters are still free to apply for mail ballots if they are not on the permanent list.
				Applications must be received by the county by 5 p.m. on the Tuesday prior to the primary or election. The deadline would be May 11 for the upcoming May 18 primary election.
				Information on applying is posted under the election department at <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/397/Application-for-Mail-In-Absentee-Ballots" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">luzernecounty.org</a>.
				Primary preparation 
				Prospective candidates in the May 18 primary can start picking up packets that include affirmations and petitions at the county election bureau on Tuesday, Parsnik announced.
				The bureau is located on the second floor of the county&rsquo;s Penn Place building at the corner of Market Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilkes-Barre.
				Parsnik stressed candidates cannot start circulating their petitions and obtaining signatures until Feb. 16.
				Voter registration
				According to the latest voter registration statistics updated by the state this week, the county has 106,311 Democrats, 86,520 Republicans and 28,381 with other affiliations or no affiliation.
				While Luzerne County Democrats maintain their longtime voter registration lead, the gap between Democrats and Republicans has been shrinking for years and is now 19,791.
				For perspective, the gap between the two parties was 47,669 in 2011. Political observers have attributed the change to the county&rsquo;s aging and increasingly conservative population.
				Although Pennsylvania primaries force voters to nominate only candidates in their registered party, voters can select contenders from any party in general elections.
				The number of voters who are not registered as Democrats or Republicans also has been growing in the county. In 2011, there were 17,304 voters in this category, or 11,077 less than today, statistics show.

Mail ballot applications sent to 55,000 Luzerne County voters