One of Luzerne County’s four new mail box-style drop boxes is seen in this file photo. Luzerne County’s Election Bureau has publicly posted sample ballots for the Nov. 2 election and announced dates for a temporary on-the-spot mail ballot voting option.
                                 File photo

One of Luzerne County’s four new mail box-style drop boxes is seen in this file photo. Luzerne County’s Election Bureau has publicly posted sample ballots for the Nov. 2 election and announced dates for a temporary on-the-spot mail ballot voting option.

File photo

Luzerne County’s Election Bureau has publicly posted sample ballots for the Nov. 2 election and announced dates for a temporary on-the-spot mail ballot voting option.

The sample ballots for each voting precinct are available through the 2021 general election link on the election bureau page at luzernecounty.org.

“It gives people a chance to familiarize themselves with their ballot before they receive it in the mail or see it at their polling place,” said county Deputy Election Director Eryn Harvey.

While local races vary within each school district and municipality, several countywide races will be decided in the upcoming general:

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• Two Court of Common Pleas judges

The contenders are Stefanie Salavantis, Alexandra Kokura Kravitz and Tarah Toohil.

• County controller

Incumbent Democrat Michelle Bednar is running against Republican Walter Griffith.

• Five county council members

There are 10 candidates (listed in the order they appear on the ballot): Democrats Matthew Vough, Sheila Saidman, Jane Walsh Waitkus, Maryann V. Velez and Jimmy Sabatino and Republicans John Lombardo, Gregory S. Wolovich Jr., Chris R. Perry, Brian Thornton and Kevin Lescavage.

• District Attorney

Current DA Sam Sanguedolce, a Republican, is running unopposed.

• Incumbent judges

Six county Court of Common Pleas judges are seeking retention, which means voters must answer a yes/no question on whether they should remain in their post for another 10-year term.

These judges: Lesa S. Gelb, Richard M. Hughes III, Fred A. Pierantoni, Jennifer L. Rogers, Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. and Michael T. Vough.

On-demand voting

Voters will have the option to request, receive and cast a mail ballot in the same visit to the county election bureau on weekdays starting Monday and ending Oct. 26, Harvey said.

The bureau will process such on-the-spot requests from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The bureau is on the second floor of the county’s Penn Place building, 20 N. Pennsylvania Ave. in Wilkes-Barre.

As with regular mail ballots, these on-demand voters will receive instructions, a ballot, an unmarked white secrecy envelope and an outer envelope that contains the voter’s name and a label with a bar code that, when scanned, identifies that voter in the state’s database.

After filling out the ballot, voters must place it in the secrecy envelope, seal it and then put that envelope inside the one with the label/barcode.

Ballots won’t be counted if voters fail to enclose them in both envelopes or forget to sign and date the outer envelope.

Harvey cautioned some voters have been incorrectly using their birth dates instead of the date they signed the ballot.

During processing, secrecy envelopes are shuffled as a way to prevent the linking of ballots to specific individuals.

Harvey said she will issue a public announcement when the bureau sends mail ballots to approximately 20,000 county voters who have requested them for the general election.

The county must send them by Tuesday but is striving for an earlier date, she said.

Completed mail ballots must be received in the county election bureau by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Information on mail ballot drop box hours and locations will be released soon, officials said.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.