William Pasquince

12 Nepfc Teams Make District Playoffs

By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES jandes@leader.net
 Tuesday, November 07, 2000 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 9A 





The unusually high number of absentee ballots pouring into the Luzerne
County Courthouse Annex has prompted officials to count presidential votes
tonight rather than Friday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As of Saturday, the county had received 5,000 absentee ballots compared to
the usual 2,000 or 3,000. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; County Voter Services Director Kevin Jordan said a panel has been appointed
to count ballots turned in by 8 p.m. tonight. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jordan said the number of absentee votes is up for two reasons: heightened
interest in the tight race between Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice
President Al Gore and a 1998 change in the law that allows more people to vote
absentee. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The law has been broadened to allow voters to cast absentee ballots if they
are not home between 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Under the old
requirements, absentee voters had to be outside the county or disabled on
election day. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The federal Voting Rights Act gives local government officials the option
of counting absentee presidential and vice presidential ballots on election
night. The Luzerne County Board of Election voted at a meeting Monday morning
to count the ballots election night, largely because the presidential race is
expected to be so close. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The county does not have the power to count ballots for the other races on
election night, said Board of Election Chairman Tom Pizano. Votes for those
races will be tallied at the official count on Friday, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Board of Election appointed four members of the six-person ``Election
Return Board'' to count the absentee ballots. They are: Harold Phoenix,
Wilkes-Barre; Jewel French Kannon, Wilkes-Barre; Paul Reedy, Pittston
Township; and Lillian Condu, Nanticoke. All four are Democrats, Pizano said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Luzerne County Republican Party also must appoint two party
representatives to the Election Return Board sometime today, Pizano said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There are 194,515 registered voters in Luzerne County. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, can be reached at
831-7333. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Absentee Vote Count Is Tonight 
Officials Decide To Count Ballots Election Night, Instead Of Friday, Because
State's Presidential Race Looks As If It Will Be Close.

Absentee Vote Count Is Tonight Officials Decide To Count Ballots Election Night, Instead Of Friday, Because State's Presidential Race Looks As If It Will Be Close.