Luzerne County Election Board chair and county manager issue dueling Wednesday drop box statements

The back-and-forth over mail ballot drop boxes continued Wednesday, with Luzerne County Election Board Chairwoman Denise Williams issuing a statement and county Manager Romilda Crocamo replying in disagreement.

Crocamo announced on Sept. 18 that the county’s four drop boxes won’t be deployed for the Nov. 5 general election due to security concerns. Williams, a strong drop box advocate, did not initially object when Crocamo briefed her but has subsequently questioned the decision and proposed the county restore two drop boxes in Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre and hire temporary workers to watch them with funding from the county’s state Election Integrity Grant.

Crocamo has said she considered the options suggested by Williams prior to her decision and concluded they would “make the situation even more unsafe and less secure.”

In her Wednesday statement, Williams focuses in part on a letter that county Democratic Party Chairman Thomas Shubilla released the day before.

The Sept. 6 letter from Republican National Committee Attorney Wally Zimolong to county Chief Solicitor Harry W. Skene stated that the county is responsible for securing drop boxes if it exercises its discretion to use them.

“If the county is unwilling or unable to secure its ballot drop boxes, then it must immediately stop using drop boxes to receive ballots for the upcoming general election,” Zimolong wrote. “If the county does not confirm it will fulfill its duties under the Election Code to assure that ballot drop boxes are secure, the Republican National Committee will pursue all available legal remedies to protect the integrity of the election.”

In light of the letter, Williams said “this total elimination of ballot drop boxes by the county manager isn’t passing the smell test for me now” and that the letter “sheds a whole new light” on the manager’s decision.

Williams also questioned whether Crocamo was aware of the letter and, if so, why she did not share it with Williams or other county election board members.

Crocamo said the letter was addressed to Skene and that her decision to eliminate the boxes was made “prior to any knowledge of this correspondence.”

“Ms. Williams’ allegations are meritless. Threats of litigation do not move me,” Crocamo said, referring to the Republican letter’s reference to legal remedies.

“Let me be clear to Ms. Williams — who I spoke to prior to releasing my decision and who agreed with my decision and has asked for an escort by the sheriffs when attending meetings — my decision was based on the fact that I cannot secure the drop boxes,” Crocamo said.

Williams also said she and other election board members have not received a copy of governmental security concerns about drop boxes that Crocamo had initially cited as a reason for the drop box elimination.

“I find it interesting that not one other county that offers ballot drop boxes in PA eliminated all of their drop boxes just prior to November’s election — only Luzerne County,” Williams wrote, asking if this county was the only one that received such advisement.

Crocamo’s reply: “I know what other counties do. There are some counties that never used drop boxes. Perhaps our esteemed state legislators could enact legislation without so many holes in it.”

The manager added: “I make decisions based on what Luzerne County is experiencing and the potential of what Luzerne might experience as opposed to other counties.”

Williams said this situation “gives credence” to the need for the county election board to have separate outside legal representation and said she hopes that possibility is assessed by the county Government Study Commission considering proposed county home rule charter changes.

Crocamo’s response: “If the study commission and the people of Luzerne County want the volunteer citizen board to have control over all things election, that is budget, personnel, county property and drop boxes, then so be it. Until that happens, my job is to deliver free, fair and safe elections. And I intend to do that.”