WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Pennsylvania voting systems are under the microscope again, this time for sending a group of voters duplicate mail-in ballots. 31 voters in Luzerne County received duplicate mail-in ballots ahead of this year's municipal election.
The ballots, coming from the commonwealth's statewide uniform registry of electors, also known as the Secretary of State's office, not the county's Bureau of Elections.
The database manages voter records in Pennsylvania's 67 counties.
Emily Cook is the Luzerne County Bureau of Elections Director.
"It was reported to the Bureau of Elections, and then subsequently, we reported the issue to the Pennsylvania Department of State. We immediately moved to cancel the second ballots for those voters and contacted them," Cook explained.
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She says this is an isolated incident and no known duplicate ballots are still circulating.
"Why did this happen in the first place? Unfortunately, I'm not sure. It's something that should have been prevented through safeguards within the sure system. So, I'm sure the Pennsylvania Department of State is going to be looking into how exactly that issue occurred," Cook continued.
The Department of State issued the following statement to 28/22 News:
After investigating this issue, the Department of State determined that Luzerne County inadvertently and incorrectly generated duplicate mailing labels for 30 voters.
This issue was isolated to Luzerne County.
The voter registration database, known as SURE, does not allow more than one ballot to be counted for one voter in any election.
The Department is committed to working closely with our counties to ensure Pennsylvania once again holds a free, fair, safe, and secure election this November.
Pennsylvania Department of State Press Secretary Matt Heckel
Voters with concerns can contact the Bureau of Elections by phone or email.
