LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Elections in Luzerne County have had a few bumps in the road the past few years, but the county has formed a new team to make sure things go well next time voters cast ballots and they'll get a big test in a few months during the primary.
Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo says this county needs reform, so they're forming an Elections Task Force Team.
Following last year's general election, Crocamo believes changes need to be made.
Crocamo has a plan to raise the bar on the way elections are run beginning in April with the primary.
"I want the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to be the shining star when it comes to elections," Crocamo explained.
The first step: A Luzerne County Elections Task Force Team.
This follows lawsuits, mail-in ballot issues, and investigations in previous elections.
"Dialogue, discussion. Voices need to be heard and with that, I think we make progress," Crocamo continued.
On Wednesday, the administration formed the group of eight.
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It consists of volunteers and bipartisan council members, including Council Chairman John Lombardo.
"We want to work together not just with our state legislature but, with other counties as well to come up with a positive solution that will help the residents of the state," Lombardo stated.
Lombardo says there are several issues that need to be addressed, some of which go higher than the county level.
For example: In the 2024 general election, there was a misspelling of state representative Alec Ryncavage's name on the ballot. Those ballots had to be re-issued.
"We know a lot of the issues the public has raised and a lot of internal issues we have as the county, but I don't think state legislature realizes how devastating it could be," Lombardo explained.
Lombardo believes workers who make mistakes should be held accountable, but also feels they need the proper training to make the election run smoothly.
"We hold people accountable if something goes wrong but we want to make sure we are giving everyone the tools to succeed," Lombardo continued.
With the primary election coming up in April 2025, the team and these new efforts will be put to the test for the first time.
"I'm positive that what we have to say will be listened to," said Crocamo.
Crocamo says the date of the first task force meeting has yet to be decided.
