Monroe County Election Board names chair and vice chair; secures one Chestnut Hill polling site and discusses voter-mailer cancellations

John Christie was approved as chair of the Monroe County Election Board and David Parker was approved as vice chair during the meeting at the Administration Building; both appointments were confirmed by voice vote, and the board approved routine minutes from its December meeting.

The board discussed polling-site arrangements for two Chestnut Hill precincts, a construction-related risk for a YMCA polling site in May and November, and county voter-list maintenance that included five-year “permanent voter” mailers and the cancellation of registrations for people who did not vote in two federal (presidential) elections.

Board context: The nominations and appointments were made at the start of the session. A nomination for Sean Christian was offered; the board then moved to approve John Christie as chair and subsequently approved David Parker as vice chair.

Polling locations: Sarah, an election office staff member, told the board the Chestnut Hill Park building has been secured for Chestnut Hill 4. She said she is inspecting the Birches clubhouse as a possible location for the other Chestnut Hill precinct and listed Zion Church as another backup option. Sarah told the board she received a call from the YMCA saying it will be under construction and "they said I'll be good for the May election, but they don't they cannot guarantee November election." The board discussed possibly using Stroudsburg High School as an alternative for November if the school calendar allows.

Voter-list maintenance and mailings: Election staff reported mailing five-year notices on Jan. 15; staff said 1,142 five-year notices were sent for permanent voter mailers. The board discussed the state process that cancels registrations after individuals fail to vote in two federal (presidential) elections. Staff reported that on Dec. 9, 2024, the county canceled 7,252 registrations for that reason; the board and staff clarified that the state refers to the two missed presidential elections when it performs this cancellation procedure.

Public comment and statutory reference: During public comment, Theresa (identified in the transcript as a public speaker) said she had compiled a list of 15 issues observed at polling precincts and advised the board to review Title 25, Article 12, including the provision addressing the oath of office at polling places. Theresa summarized: "A lot of the laws are under article 12 for preparation for conduct of provisional and elections." She said she would provide her 15-item list to the election office.

Candidate petitions and judges: Staff said petition packets will be available beginning Feb. 12 and that circulating may start Feb. 8. The board also discussed judicial contests: staff reported that because Judge Worthington retired before her term ended, the replacement position will be a full 10-year term (the county will therefore have two judicial positions on the ballot for 10-year terms). Another judge, Mark Williamson, will be up for retention and would appear only on the November ballot.

Votes at a glance: The meeting recorded three formal approvals by voice vote with no numerical tallies specified in the transcript: approval of John Christie as chair (nomination process included a separate nomination for Sean Christian), approval of David Parker as vice chair, and approval of the December meeting minutes.

Next steps and staff directions: Staff will continue site inspections (Birches clubhouse and other backups) and will post the offices up for election on the county website, as noted by election staff. The public commenter’s 15-item precinct list will be submitted to the board for review.

The meeting adjourned after public comment and the routine business items were completed.