Westmoreland provisional ballots discovered after primary won't be counted

Seven provisional ballots submitted at a Unity poll during the June primary and discovered this summer won’t be counted.

Westmoreland County officials rejected those ballots Wednesday after they were formally opened by a reconstituted provisional board. The ballots were found to have been improperly handled at the polls when they were individually sealed and not first placed in a secrecy envelope as required by law, according to solicitor Melissa Guiddy.

“The statute says that if they are not in the secrecy envelope they cannot be counted,” Guiddy said.

Election officials said last week they believe the ballots likely were inadvertently placed by a poll worker at the precinct under a blue box beneath a scanner where completed ballots were stored on election night. They were found when an inspection of equipment was completed last month.

Each of the ballots was opened Wednesday by a newly appointed board that consisted of two registered Democrats and two Republicans. Elections Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani said the intent was to tally the votes and add them to totals from the June 2 primary.

The additional votes could only have impacted the race for three seats on the county’s Republican Committee from the Robles district, which was decided by 16 write-in votes.

Sebastiani said the results that were certified this summer will stand.

She conceded the discovery of uncounted ballots and subsequent determination they were improperly handled at the polls is troublesome and pledged to correct those issues for the general election on Nov. 3.

“The judge of elections didn’t follow the protocol for ballots taken at the precinct,” Sebastiani said. “We are extensively looking at our policies and will stress to them that it’s really important they are properly manning the ship. It’s our responsibility, and we owe it to the public. We have to be better.”

Sebastiani said additional training of poll workers will be mandatory ahead of the general election. Meanwhile, staff at the precincts on Election Day will be instructed to speak with elections bureau workers at the courthouse to better oversee the handling of provisional ballots.

Provisional ballots are cast at precincts by voters whose registration is in question or when a voter fears a completed mail-in ballot won’t arrive in time to be counted. The county received about 1,200 provisional ballots in June.

Original tallies showed none came from the Roble precinct.

Elections officials said one change already approved by the state could reduce the number of provisional ballots needed in November. Voters who don’t want to rely on the U.S. Postal Service will be able to bring mail-in ballots to their polling location to be voided on Election Day. They will then be allowed to cast their votes on the touch-screen machines at the polls, Sebastiani said.