WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — As the counting of votes continues in Pennsylvania there are renewed calls for reforms in the Election process in the Commonwealth.
Those concerns are focused on how votes are cast and counted as well as the processing of mail-in ballots.
One of the questions being asked is: "Should there be a standard process statewide?
Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo stated the following about the formation of the election legislation task force:
After overseeing numerous elections, it is clear that meaningful change in our election laws needs to take place. The only place where that can happen is with legislative action.
In furthering the efforts to these changes, I am pleased to announce the establishment of an Election Legislation Task Force dedicated to enhancing the electoral process by reviewing what works, what changes need to be made, and logistically how to put those changes into action. This task force will collaborate closely with the Luzerne County Council Legislative Committee and will consist of Luzerne County election officials, Board members, community members, former legislators, individuals with election experience, and various experts, including process engineers and safety professionals.
We firmly believe that the only way to enact meaningful improvements to our election system is through legislative action. The responsibility cannot solely rest on the counties, the Department of State, and the Courts; we elect legislators to fulfill their duties, and we will be actively monitoring the actions these elected officials make. In this context, we will be grading our elected officials, particularly the incumbents who have had the opportunity to address these issues but haven done nothing.
At the outset, we want to acknowledge Senator Lisa Baker for her commendable efforts in supporting counties across the Commonwealth through the Election Integrity Grant. Her proactive approach serves as a model for what true leadership looks like, and we look forward to working together with our legislators to ensure a fair and efficient electoral process for all.
This task force will bring together Luzerne County Election Officials, community members, former legislators, and experts to collaboratively address election-related issues. By working closely with the Luzerne County Legislative Committee, we aim to identify necessary legislative actions that will enhance our electoral processes and ensure accountability at all levels.
Elections are fundamentally about accountability, and we recognize the importance of ensuring that our processes are not only fair but also transparent and trustworthy.
We hear from local election officials, state lawmakers, and voters. 28/22 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick reports live.
The ongoing vote count in the Casey-McCormick race has some election officials around the state renewing calls for election reform.
Currently each of the Commonwealth's 67 counties manage and operate the election process in their individual county, but the questions has come up again; should there be a standardized election process' system in Pennsylvania?
There have been efforts and calls to reform the way Pennsylvania runs it's elections for years, and with each election comes renewed calls because new challenges arise in each election.
Now, Luzerne County will lead the charge for those reforms.
"There has to be changes. We cannot, the county cannot, go through this again especially for a major election," stated Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo.
Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo says that the current election system puts too much of a burden on individual counties, including financially, staffing, and equipment.
She is calling for the creation of what she is calling "An election legislation task force" that will lobby for election reforms.
"It's just not workable. We have to get some path and it has to come from our legislature. Counties can't make all the decisions and they put the Department of State and the courts in a position that they have to make decisions that really belong to our legislators," voiced Crocamo.
Rick Morelli is a member of the Luzerne County Board of Elections which oversee the process in Luzerne County.
"I think it starts at the state. The state has to find ways to make it simple and clear and the same throughout all the counties in Pennsylvania," commented Morelli.
State representative Aaron Kaufer (R) says while technology is great, it can create issues and that causes delays.
"I just want to see us go back to simple paper ballots where we bubble it in. Give yourself a privacy screen to go do it. We're not worrying about mechanical errors, machine errors, or technical problems," said Kaufer (R).
Voters we spoke with had mixed opinions on a standardized voting system.
"It wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea to have a statewide voting system. However, I stand up for local level kind of doing the count thing while the government does their thing," voiced Wilkes-Barre resident Raymond Keiper.
We will keep an eye on this task force effort.
