Board of Elections OK's six ballot drop box sites for primary

Apr. 23—Voters in the May 18 primary election in Lackawanna County will once again have options for casting their ballots.

The county Board of Elections on Friday approved locations for six drop boxes for the return of mail-in ballots, choosing the same sites where the secure receptacles were placed during the 2020 election cycle.

It was among several housekeeping matters the board took up in preparation for the primary, including changing almost a dozen polling place locations.

The ballot return receptacles will be located at the county Government Center at 123 Wyoming Ave. in Scranton, along with Carbondale City Hall, the Clarks Summit, Dickson City and Moosic borough buildings and the Roaring Brook Twp. Municipal Building.

County Chief of Staff Brian Jeffers said the county will conduct an advertising campaign to publicize the drop box locations, and elections Director Beth Hopkins said the sites will be listed on the Department of Elections webpage.

At the suggestion of county Judge Andy Jarbola, the department will also include a notice of the locations with the absentee and mail-in ballots it sends to voters who apply for them.

Jarbola is serving on the election board in place of county Commissioner Chris Chermak, who is running in the primary as the Republican candidate for state Senate. The other members of the three-member board are Commissioners Debi Domenick and Jerry Notarianni, who are serving as chair and vice chair, respectively.

As of Friday, the county had received just over 10,800 applications for absentee or mail-in ballots for the primary, Hopkins said after the meeting. She anticipates the number will grow to around 12,000 before the application deadline May 11.

The board approved a $100 increase in the amount primary pollworkers will be paid. The rate for judges of election will go from $170 to $270 for the day, while majority and minority inspectors, clerks and constables will see their pay jump from $125 to $225.

Saying it is something the county did last year to encourage people to work the polls amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeffers described the extra money as "hazard pay."

Notarianni said the pollworkers, who start early in the morning and often go late at night on Election Day, don't receive a lot of credit for what they do.

"It's not like they're overpaid at all," he said.

The board approved moving the polling locations for 11 voting districts for the primary.

Two of the polling place changes are permanent:

—Scranton 5-2: From SS. Peter & Paul Russian Orthodox Church, 1725 Academy St., to West Scranton High School, 1201 Luzerne St.

—Carbondale Twp. Northeast: From Whites Crossing Fire Company, 35 Old Gravity Road, to Whites Crossing Fire Company, 16 Route 6 Roosevelt Highway.

Polling places for these districts are temporarily relocating:

—Dunmore 1-1: From Our Lady of Peace Residence, 1510 University Ave., to Dunmore Community Center-1414 Monroe Ave.

—Fell Twp 4: From garage, 504 Main St. Richmondale, to Fell Twp. Municipal Building, 1 Veterans Road, Simpson.

—Old Forge 3, Old Forge 6-1 and Old Forge 6-2: From Old Forge Municipal Building, 310 S. Main St., to Eagle McClure Hose Co. 1, 375 Milwaukee Ave.

—Scranton 5-1: From Jackson Heights Recreation Room, 1001 Jackson St., to West Side Senior Center, 1004 Jackson St.

—Scranton 7-1: From Boys & Girls Club, 609 Ash St., to Scranton Cultural Center, 420 N. Washington Ave.

—Scranton 16-1: From Washington West Apartments, 537 N. Washington Ave., to Scranton Cultural Center, 420 N. Washington Ave.

—Scranton 17-2: From Hebrew Day School, 530 Monroe Ave., to Scranton Cultural Center, 420 N. Washington Ave.

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9132