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Election board approves poll‑worker and canvass appointments; staff reports 79,000 mail‑in ballots issued
Summary
The Montgomery County Election Board on May 18 approved appointments for temporary poll workers and canvassers for the May 19 primary. Election staff reported 79,000 mail‑in ballots issued and 54,800 returned and explained how incorrectly mailed ballots are sequestered and stored.
The Montgomery County Election Board on May 18 approved lists of temporary poll workers and members of the mail‑in and absentee canvass board for the May 19, 2026 primary and heard a briefing from county election staff on turnout and ballot handling.
Frank Dean, introduced to the board as the presenter, asked the board to approve the attached list of "poll worker appointments for the 2026 primary election" and a separate list of "canvasser appointments for the 2026 primary election." The board approved the minutes and then approved both appointments by voice vote.
Dean reported operational staffing and ballot counts: "We have issued 79,000 mail‑in ballots, and we have received 54,800 as of this morning," which he characterized as about a "70% return rate." He also said the office has 2,532 poll workers and 190 student poll workers assigned for the election. "We're excited to get Montgomery County out," Dean said, and added that a staffed phone line will be available from 5 a.m. on election day to assist voters with issues.
Board staff described the department's procedure for handling incorrectly mailed ballots, citing barcodes to track returns. Dean said ballots that were sent in error are "sequestered" and "will literally never get opened," and that voters who received incorrect ballots were issued new ballots, were called, mailed a letter, and emailed notice. The original envelopes are stored in a labeled archive box for two years and are available under right‑to‑know requests, staff said.
Adrian Seltzer, a judge of elections from Lower Merion who spoke by Zoom, complimented county training on new electronic poll books and thanked staff: "Robert is amazing," Seltzer said, adding that judges of elections are nonpartisan and that outreach helps inform voters who may not know a primary is occurring.
The board approved the poll worker and canvass lists after motions and seconds were recorded on the public record. The approved canvassers will assist with pre‑canvass and canvass duties specified by the election code for the primary on 05/19/2026.
The office said it will continue to publish updated dropbox and turnout numbers and maintain phone staffing to address voter issues on election day.
