1 week Ago By By PATRICK CLOONAN [email protected]
The Indiana County Board of Commissioners, acting as the county’s election board, dealt with 449 provisional ballots during a meeting Friday afternoon. Most received thumbs up (143) or thumbs down (268) without issue, but four of the categories presented Friday were not clear-cut, leaving 38 ballots in limbo: Twenty-five ballots from voters who went to the wrong precinct received partial approval for races that were common to both the precinct where the vote was cast and the precinct where the vote should have been cast. In Indiana County, the contests for President, U.
S. Senate, state row offices and state Senate were countywide in scope. However, if the wrong precinct turned out to be in the wrong congressional district (14 or 15), and/or the wrong state legislative district (62 or 66), the vote would not count toward those offices.
One voter did not show identification when casting a provisional ballot. The three board members all rejected it, unless the issue can be cleared up by the voter by Tuesday at 4 p.m.
, when the election board will meet one final time, in this case also for consideration of ballots mailed in by members of the U.S. military.
“There are two dozen outstanding military ballots,” said Wilson Ragen, who is serving with Melissa Miller, Debra Streams and Robin Maryai as the county’s official return board. One voter did not complete a ballot envelope properly and it went to the wrong precinct. The three commissioners accepted that ballot but Indiana attorney Jesse Daniel, representing the U.
S. Senate campaign of Republican Dave McCormick, objected to that action. Daniel also objected to 11 provisional ballots cast by voters who returned their mail-in ballot with missing information, and received notice by a phone call, text or email.
A hearing will be held regarding Daniel’s challenges on Friday at noon. Also on hand in the commissioners’ meeting room Friday were Indiana Borough Solicitor Patrick Dougherty on behalf of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and the campaign of incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr.
He had no objections, nor did Indiana County Democratic Chair Lynne Alvine or Homer City Mayor Arlene Wanatosky, representing the Pennsylvania Democratic Party’s Western Pennsylvania Voter Protection Team. As for the other ballots reviewed Friday: • The board rejected 135 provisional ballots from voters registered in another county. • The board also rejected 133 provisional ballots from voters who weren’t registered at all.
• On the other hand, the board accepted 124 provisional ballots from voters who hadn’t surrendered their mail-in or absentee ballot. • The commissioners accepted 16 provisional ballots from voters who should have cast regular ballots. • And they accepted three ballots from voters whose ballots had been removed in error.
The board of elections will have a different member beginning next week. With Gorman resigning to take a new job with Homer City Redevelopment LLC, Keith and Hess will be joined by county Auditor Dr. Bonni S.
Dunlap, who was sworn in on election day and will officially become a county commissioner today. Dunlap also was in the commissioners’ meeting room Friday..
