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Elections office reports slow petition pickup, 22,000 permanent-mail applications mailed; 13 nominations for voter Hall of Fame
Summary
Elections staff told commissioners that candidate-petition pickup has been slow, the office mailed about 22,000 permanent mail-in-application postcards (about 300 mailed and 300 online responses received so far), and the office identified 13 voters eligible for the Pennsylvania Voter Hall of Fame for voting 50 consecutive years.
Lebanon County elections staff updated the board on preparations for the municipal election cycle, mailings to permanent mail‑in ballot applicants, volunteer recruitment and a Hall of Fame recognition for long‑time voters.
Sean Drescher, director of elections, and deputy director Joyce Arber reported that municipal-year candidate-petition pickup has been slower than expected: after about a week, the office had 40–50 petitions out and only one fully returned and one in process. The filing deadline was stated as March 11.
Elections staff completed a large mailing of permanent mail‑in applications: roughly 22,000 postcards were sent to voters on the permanent list; staff said approximately 300 returned paper forms and another roughly 300 online applications had been received at the time of the meeting. The county switched to a postcard-style permanent-mail application; staff described the card as thin cardstock designed to be folded and sealed and said they would refine the design (for example, additional glue/taping) for future mailings.
Staff warned of duplicate applications: some voters submit multiple requests and then receive automated “declined” messages because they were already on the permanent list. Elections staff also noted a strong poll-worker volunteer pool but stressed the need for volunteers to actually run precincts in their home precincts to avoid write-in outcomes.
As part of routine voter-roll work, staff identified 13 Lebanon County residents who have voted in 50 consecutive general elections and nominated them for the Pennsylvania Voter Hall of Fame; three RSVP'd to attend the meeting for recognition.
Ending: Elections staff said the office will continue outreach to recruit candidates and poll workers and will follow up on the permanent-mailing design before the next cycle.
