Luzerne County voters invited to apply for election board chair seat

Luzerne County registered voters interested in chairing the county election board can now submit a letter of intent and resume.

The board plans to publicly interview applicants and select one at its Feb. 24 meeting, board Vice Chairman Peter Ouellette said Thursday.

The fifth board member and chairperson seat is selected by the four other county council-appointed election board members. While council must appoint two Democrats and two Republicans, the chairperson can have any party affiliation or none.

Jeanette Tait, the current chairperson, announced her resignation Monday, effective March 1, citing personal reasons. Tait sent a follow-up email Thursday afternoon asking Ouellette to start performing the duties of interim board chair until someone is appointed.

The election board serves as an independent citizen body to oversee elections, make determinations on flagged ballots and write-in votes and certify election results.

Ouellette encouraged anyone interested in elections to apply, particularly those with strong organizational skills and the ability to coordinate meetings.

“It is an important position,” Ouellette said.

According to a public notice he released Thursday, applicants must be registered to vote without a change in party affiliation for at least five years and demonstrate active participation in the voting process.

Applications can be mailed or dropped off, care of the county election board, at the county election bureau, 20 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 207, Wilkes-Barre, 18701.

There are some restrictions for election board members in the county’s home rule charter.

Appointees are ineligible if they are or were one of the following at the time of their appointment or for at least four years prior to appointment, the charter says: an elected county official, county employee, a member or employee of any other county authority/board/commission, an elected public official or public employee, an employee or someone compensated by any individual or business serving as a contractor to the county or any county authority/board/commission, a paid consultant for the county or any county authority/board/commission or an officer in a political party.

The Feb. 24 board meeting will be at 4:30 p.m. and virtual, with attendance instructions posted under the election board link at luzernecounty.org/elections.