Luzerne County preparing for April 5 special election

Luzerne County Election Director Michael Susek said Wednesday his office is working to prepare for an April 5 special election ordered this week to fill Tarah Toohil’s vacant state representative seat in the 116th Legislative District.

State House Speaker Bryan Cutler has sole discretion to determine the special election date and said he was concerned voters would be confused if it had been scheduled as part of the May 17 primary. Special election voters will select someone to serve the rest of Toohil’s term through Nov. 30 now that she is a county judge, officials said.

Among the special election preparations Susek presented before and during the county’s election board meeting Wednesday:

Susek is set to meet Thursday with a representative of county voting equipment supplier Dominion Voting Systems Inc. to determine how many machines must be deployed in the special election and ensure a contingency plan is in place in case those machines can’t be closed out, retested and programmed for use in the May 17 primary.

The bureau is still working with the state to determine if it’s possible paper ballots can be used at the polls because only one race will be decided in the special election, he said. There are 34 voting precincts and approximately 33,873 registered voters in the 116th District.

Although the state is funding the special election, Susek said he wants to look at “ways to reduce the cost and complexity.”

Even if paper ballots are an option, Susek said he was informed each precinct must have at least one electronic voting machine accessible for those with disabilities. If the state does not allow paper ballots at polling places, the county should still require fewer machines than it would in a regular election because voters will spend less time casting their ballot with only one race to decide, he said.

Mail ballots also must be sent to voters in the district who submit applications requesting them before the special election, he said.

“We know timing will be critical to make sure mail ballots go out as early as they can,” he said.

Susek said his staff has started contacting regular polling places to determine if they are available for county use on April 5.

The state’s legal team tentatively set a deadline around Feb. 14 for candidates to file their paperwork with the state and March 6 for the state to present a certified list of candidates to the county, he said.

Both the county Republican and Democratic party organizations will have the option to select a candidate to appear on the ballot. Other political parties and those with no affiliation would have to contact the state for information on placing candidates on the ballot, Susek said.

Poll workers also must be contacted, including new ones elected in last year’s November general election, Susek said.

Starting this year, first-time poll workers won’t be permitted to work unless they attend a training, and all poll workers must complete at least one training annually.

The election board approved this change last year to ensure those staffing polling places on election day are educated on procedures and responsibilities.

Both county political parties posted Facebook messages Wednesday inviting applicants to submit letters of interest for the special election nomination.

The application due date is this Saturday (Jan. 15) for Democrats and Jan. 28 for Republicans.

Under the current legislative boundaries that apply to the special election, the following municipalities partially or fully fall in the 116th District: Hazleton; the boroughs of Conyngham, Nescopeck, New Columbus and Shickshinny; and the townships of Black Creek, Butler, Conyngham, Dorrance, Hazle, Hollenback, Huntington, Nescopeck, Salem, Sugarloaf and Union.

In another matter, the volunteer citizen election board was down to three members during Wednesday’s meeting — Audrey Serniak, Patrick Castellani and Chairwoman Denise Williams — because county council has not yet filled two seats that expired the end of 2021. Republican Richard Nardone, who had served in one of those now-expired seats, had completed a public interview required for possible reappointment. Kathryn Roth, a Democrat, held the other seat and did not seek reappointment.