What Governmental Reforms Would You Like to See?

Below is a list of government reforms proposed, way back in 2016, by Ron Beitler (now a Lehigh County Comm'r), myself and a few readers. These were sent to then Governor Tom Wolf and the Lehigh Valley delegation to the state house and senate. I never received a reply.  

These are neither Republican nor Democratic proposals. You either believe in good government or you don't. Feel free to add any suggestions you have. 

1. Term limits now and tweak the terms. Three four-year terms for State Reps. Two six-year terms for State Senators. A two-year term for State Reps is too short. They have to start campaigning for the next election virtually the day after they win. (I would oppose term limits for municipal offices because it is hard enough to attract people.)

2. Reduce the size of PA government so state rep districts have 85,000 people within. This is small enough to maintain constituent services at the current level, but large enough to eliminate 52 positions entirely.

3. Eliminate pensions for elected officials. Salaries for a full-time state legislator should be adjusted to be the median for the district represented. It is a full-time job, but not a career. Pensions are for career positions.

4. Enact Resign-to-run rules that would apply to any full-time elected position that draws a taxpayer funded salary.  Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley should not be able to use the perks of his office as a springboard to the state senate. The only exception is if the candidate is in the final year of his term.  

5. End gerrymandering by establishing independent commissions to do the redistricting. (The current commission is appointed by incumbents to help them keep their jobs.  

6. Require all candidates for statewide office to file campaign finance reports electronically so the people know immediately how the campaign is being funded. Too many candidates refuse to file electronically, and the state elections office is never in a hurry to get reports online.  Each county government should adopt ordinances requiring that campaign finance reports be posted on the county webpage within 24 hours of filing. (NorCo lists campaign finance reports, but this is at the whim of the Exec, who could change her mid tomorrow. County Council needs to adopt an ordinance requiring their publication).

7. Ban the use of campaign funds for criminal defense.

8. Increase penalties for noncompliance with state campaign finance laws and continue the requirement that a candidate pay for violations out of his own personal funds.

9. All local governments should be required to provide an Internet broadcast of every meeting. If it is too expensive, the government should be dissolved.

10. Ban gifts of any kind, on a state and local level.

12. Require receipts for per diem payments.

13. Allow independent voters to participate in Primary Elections.

14. Ban local governments and school districts from attaching risky derivative "swaps" to their debt.

15. Ban candidates or elected officials from using campaign funds to make contributions to any other PAC or candidate committee. This prevents money laundering and ensures that money given to a candidate is used only for his campaign.

16. Limit campaign expenses to year of election requiring forfeiture of unspent monies. Eliminate rolling campaign accounts and expenditures in non election years. I believe district magistrates must spend it or lose it and cannot accumulate funds when they are unopposed. Similar rules for everybody.

17. LIST candidates on the ballot (per office) in random order with no party affiliation attached.

18. In addition to term limits, place "None of the Above" on the ballot for every elective office. If "None of the Above" wins a majority or plurality of the votes, the other candidates are disqualified and a new slate of candidates (including "None of the Above") must be drawn for a new election. Lather, rinse and repeat until someone other than "None of the Above" receives a majority of the votes.

*****

Some new ideas 

19. Limit both individual and PAC contributions to $1,000 a year. 

20. Ban all public employees from contributing to candidates in races for the municipality by which they are employed. 

21. Prohibit all individuals who contribute to candidates for a specific municipality from having any form of business relationship with that municipality for a period of two years after making the contribnution. 

After 36 Speakers, NorCo Elections Comm'n Plans Up to Six Pop-Up Elections and Will Try Adding 2-3 More Drop Boxes

At yesterday's meeting of the Northampton County Elections Commission, conducted in County Council Chambers (and available on YouTube), the Board heard from 36 people. These included Democrats, Republicans, elections workers and the current as well as the former Chair of the county Democratic party. That alone took about 90 minutes. After the public was heard, the Board voted along party lines (Democrats yes, Republicans, no) to explore and implement the addition of up to 3 drop boxes in addition to 7 existing drop boxes. They also plan to continue up to 6 "pop-up" elections at various locations throughout the count. Their next meeting is scheduled for October 20 at 5 pm. 

The Elections Commission is a five-member body established under the Home Rule Charter. It consists of no more than three members of the political party that received the most votes in the most recent general election, with the remaining two seats for the political party that received the second largest number of votes. It ostensibly exists to administer elections, but since it has no power over the purse and no separate budget, it has basically been little more than a whipping boy for voters with grievances. 

The current members consist of Democrats Sharon Gavin-Levy, Becky Bartlett and Richard Groff as well as Republicans Scott Hough (who participated by phone yesterday) and Shawn Welch. They heard a lot of complaints as well as a number of requests. 

Complaints came mostly from Republicans and are best summed up by remarks made by Jay Martin. He noted that there have been numerous election mishaps extending back several years. He argued that before expanding pop-up elections or adding drop boxes, the elections office needs to "get the basics right. You do not fix repeated errors by adding complexity. Stop expanding. Stop experimenting."

Realtor Robert Dandi called drop boxes "glorified garbage cans." He complained that the county elections process fits the definition of insanity because officials keep doing the same thing, expecting different results.

One voter who works for the RNC complained that "if they find out you are a Republican, they won't listen to you." She called for the removal of the entire elections office.

On the other side of the ideological spectrum, former Elections Comm'r Margie DeRenzis responded to some among the 36 speakers who contend they are ignored. She said that during her five years as an elections commissioner, each and every complaint was taken seriously and addressed by the Registrar. "But as we all know, where there are humans, there will be human error. I don't know any way of fixing that in any field of life, not just our elections."

DeRenzis was among a cascade of voters who are seeking additional drop boxes, primarily in the Saucon Valley area. The main reason why Saucon Valley voters would like more drop boxes is because two voting precincts have been closed, and the closest replacement that elections official could find was at the Stabler arena, which actually is located in Bethlehem. 

They also expressed concerns over President Donald Trump's Executive Order and subsequent guidelines by the USPS that could interfere with Mail-in Voting. DeRenzis noted that Trump's threat to send ICE officers to polling places would have a chilling effect on legitimate Hispanic voters. Mail-in voting would alleviate that concern. 

After listening to the public, Comm'rs heard from Solicitor Michael Vargo. He said ballots will be printed once the courts rule on whether Andrew Tupone stays or must be removed from the ballot.

Voting Registrar Chris Commini apologized to the Board and the public for a meeting that had to be canceled because he failed to post the agenda, and said that miscue was entirely his own fault.

He then addressed some of the concerns raised by the public.

He noted that, except for a Deputy Registrar, his office is fully staffed. 

As far as drop boxes are concerned, he told everyone that drop boxes must be under video surveillance, indoors, chained and ADA complaint. 

He asked for help finding polling places, saying he would appreciate public input.

He explained the purging process, something he and his predecessors have done several times. A person basically has to stop voting for five years before becoming inactive.

He addressed the complaint of dead people on the polling books. He said his office looks at obituaries, receives reports from family members and gets periodic reports from the state Department of Health as well as the Coroner's office. 

He agreed to look into making the elections webpage more user friendly and to look for larger signs to direct voters to polling places. 

The four pop-up sites being considered for the general election are Upper Mount Bethel Tp Municipal Bldg (10/6), Pen Argyl (10/14), Lower Saucon, and Lafayette College (10/15).

My personal opinion is that while Lafayette College is fine in a primary, it is a bad choice for a general election because it will unfairly tilt the vote towards a heavily Democratic college crowd, just as a pop-up election at some field and game club would tilt Republican.  I think it probably violates the Pa Constitution's requirement of a "free and equal" election. 

I also agree that there have been too many errors in recent years to throw in pop-up elections. 

One of the 36 people who spoke last night was a gentleman named Phillip Godbane (sp?). He said his wish this election cycle is that NorCo stays out of the national news spotlight. 

NorCo Elections Comm'n Cancels Meeting After Failing to Post Agenda

A meeting of NorCo's Elections Comm'n that was supposed to take place at 3:30 pm had to be canceled because the Zrinski administration, which really runs our elections system, failed to post the agenda on the county's website as required by the Sunshine Act.

This error was brought to the attention of an Elections Comm'r by Matthew Flower, a NorCo GOP committee area chair. 

It was canceled just four hours before it was scheduled to start. 

On his Facebook page, he rhetorically asks, "If our county administration cannot competently schedule a public meeting, why should we believe they can take on the complexity of additional pop up voting, satellite election offices and expanded drop box use?"

He also set up the nifty little flyer you can see as part of this blog.

And that's the problem. The administration runs elections when that role should fall to the elections commission under both our Home Rule Charter and state law. 

Despite the clear language of both state statute and our county constitution, all the elections commission really does is act as a rubber stamp for decisions made by the administration. They do serve one useful purpose. These unelected volunteers are usually the whipping boys (and girls) whom voters can yell at when the count administration screws up an election, which is now becoming something of a routine. 

In the county commissioner form of government, the elections board consists of the county commissioners, and this makes sense. It is the county commissioners who both administer the county and pay the bills for election expenses.  

It is time to amend the Charter so that the Elections Comm'n actually does the job it is required to do. Its members should consist of Council members who are not seeking election or re-election and the Executive, with one spot reserved for a member of the minority party. If it is an election year for the Exec, her spot should be replaced by a person appointed by the Courts or Council.  

Then and only then will the elections commission actually be able to fulfill its statutory role. 

And yes, I thin k Council members should weigh in on pop-up elections, which strike me as something far too easy to manipulate by conducting them in areas where you know your preferred party is going to vote. Moreover, given that the county has managed to send out the wrong mail-in ballots in two consecutive elections, it should master that first before branching off into something else. And yes, that decision should come from the Exec AND council, which is, after all, the governing body. 

Zrinski Addresses NorCo Primary Election Failures

On Wednesday, I posted a story about NorCo Elections Comm'n meeting the previous day during which nine people (Republicans and elections workers) expressed dissatisfaction with the way the county handled May's primary. Before that meeting ever happened, there were already indications that some things were amiss. Elections Registrar Chirs Commini honestly admitted that some voters who requested mail-in ballots received them, but for the wrong party. He also acknowledged that, just like the last election cycle, some voters received the wrong ballots. 

At the post-election meeting, it became clear that redistricting created issues in which some people running for state committee no longer lived in the voting district while others who did inexplicably never appeared on the ballot. There was an even more serious problem when it was discovered that epollbooks (used to check in voters) were never updated. This means that voters who had voted by mail could also cast a vote in person. Thankfully, nobody tried, but an important safeguard designed to ensure that each person votes only once, was missing. This hardly inspires public confidence. Finally, there were the usual training errors that, to be honest, are bound to happen no matter how hard you try to prevent them. Some people who work elections only two days a year are just going to make mistakes even though former Elections Registrar Amy Cozze prepared a thick binder for elections judges with the "dos" and "don'ts" on election day. Unfortunately, thanks to 30-second videos on Tik Tok and Youtube, we now have the attention spans of a housefly. 

These problems, as I told you, prompted Republican Elections Comm'rs to move to suspend pop-up elections for the remainder of 2026 on the theory that we are simply tasking elections officials with too much. They are statutorily required to run three elections (Mail-in ballots, ballot-on demand and in-person). Before shackling them with a fourth election, why not wait until they can pull off an election without any major issues like one in which voters could easily have voted twice? Democrats disagreed, and they outnumbered the Republicans. 

Administrator Mark Aurand told the Elections Comm'rs that there was no proof that conducting four pop-up elections or that sending two people to man a satellite office for four weeks to get a measly two votes directly caused the problems that occurred. That's true, but it's certainly a fair inference.  

Executive Tara Zrinski had previously told County Council it was a "smooth" election. To her credit, she has now acknowledged the process problems at last night's meeting of NorCo Council. Though she at one point minimized them as "very few and minor hiccups," she did indicate that her office would be conducting an after-action review to determine what went right and what went wrong. 

This year, we redistricted and changed several polling locations. And although party chairs were informed, as we proceeded with the approval from the state, the Northampton Republican Party chose to sue over the registering, and therefore delayed the process. ... And the Commonwealth Court approved our districts in February, February 4th, to be exact. So I want to emphasize that redistricting in a non-residential cycle when turnout is expected to be low in a non-contentious primary. Are the optimal conditions to troubleshoot and work out income kings.

This was not the way the Elections Commission saw, the very few and minor hiccups that occurred on the 19th. An elections commission meeting was held earlier this week, and complaints were brought to the commission regarding the recent primary elections, and they will be addressed. ... 

No votes were counted twice, even if cast, because of the safeguards placed, or in place to ensure that everyone only gets one vote. Nonetheless, the commission is expected to certify the election results next week.

And for the administration, again, I want to emphasize that the primary election was conducted in a manner that was free, fair, secure and accurate. And while there were concerns raised, as there always are, in a large scale public process, we take those seriously and we continue to refine our procedures. Our elections office is already focused on improvements for fall. Over the next few months, priorities of the election office will include re-examining procedures to add quality assurance steps.

Re-evaluating several of the new polling places, getting the new electronic poll books up and running, and the office also plans to hold a post event analysis of the primary election. De collections success days that went well and basically not go well.

And the goal will be to enhance procedures for the general election in the fall.

It's true that nobody voted twice, which would be a felony. But this would not have been caught until after the election and unofficial votes were tabulated. Safeguards need to prevent that from happening at all. It is, however, encouraging that Zrinski has listened to what these people had to say and will tryo to minimize future errors. 

Whether she knows it or not, however, she made one announcement that betrays a complete misunderstanding of the Elections Commission's role. It exists to administer elections, both under the express language of the Home Rule Charter and the Elections Code. Yet the administration has taken it upon itself to purchase new epollbooks without bothering to ask the Elections Comm'n first. 

In Northampton County, the Elections Comm'n has been relegated to a perfunctory body whose sole purpose is to simply certify elections. That needs to change. 

It's understandable that things have gone in this direction. Though the elections commission is required to administer elections, it is not a salary board and has no authority to set salaries. It lacks the power of the purse, which should be jealously guarded by county council. Moreover, these officials are unelected and, though they deserve our respect and gratitude for the time they spend, they should have no say in how we spend our money. 

That is why Northampton County's Elections Commission, like the Board of Elections in counties that operate under the county code. should consist of County Council members and the Executive. During years in which the at-large members and Executive are running for election, they should be replaced by the four district Council members and a voter selected by the court to insure minority representation. If the at-large Council members and Exec all belong to the same party, the courts can pick a representative from a minority party. 

I believe this approach will fulfill both the spirit and letter of the Elections Code. It will require a change to the Home Rule Charter. I will come up with a proposal next week, and will also tell you what elese happened during a brief but interesting meeting.

NorCo Elections Comm'n Votes 3-2 To Continue Pop-Up Voting Despite Elections Failures

At Northampton County Council's May 21 meeting, Executive Tara Zrinski reported that the Spring Primary went "smoothly," In reality, there were a number of problems. Before the election, some voters received ballots for the wrong party while others actually received duplicate ballots. As a result of redistricting, some party committee members were incorrectly listed in the wrong district while others were completely omitted. And on election day, epollbooks showed that voters were eligible to vote in person even though they had previously sent in mail-in-ballots (MIBs). These kinds of errors undermine public confidence in the elections process and need to be addressed. Northampton County's Elections Comm'n, however, is going to continue doing exactly what is causing this problem by requiring elections workers to do too much. 

The Elections office is already statutorily tasked with conducting what amounts to three elections every cycle.  There's in-person voting at the polling place, mail-in ballots and ballot-by demand. Last year, the county also decided to add a satellite office on Bethlehem's south side for four weeks so that people could either apply for MIBs or vote ballot by demand. Two people had been diverted from their usual duties to make it easier for people to vote. "That was not well attended," admitted Voter Registrar Chris Commini.

In addition to the satellite office, the county decided this year to stage "pop up" elections at Lafayette College (31 votes) Northampton Community College (3 votes), Upper Mt Bethel Tp Municipal Building (handful) and Lower Saucon (handful. To run these four pop-up events, elections workers had to be diverted from their usual duties. 

I understand and fully appreciate the importance of engaging as many voters as possible. But before conducting pop-ip elections or establishing satellite offices, county officials should be able to demonstrate that they con conduct the elections they are statutorily required to conduct with ease. Based on the past few elections, it's pretty clear that they need to focus on what they are required by law to do before branching out. 

At yesterday's meeting of the elections commission, nine people (elections judges and Republican party members voiced their concerns. What they had to say was summed up best by Matt Flower, who said that the elections failures fell into three categories - redistricting failures, training failures, and election system failures.

Redistricting failures. "Election registrar Chris Commini testified 4 times that no elected office would be impacted by redistricting.After the petition circulation period had already begun, they issued an email acknowledging that elected offices had in fact been affected. The consequences were real.In Upper Nazareth Township and Forks Township, both municipalities affected by redistricting, candidates appeared on the ballot in precincts, where they did not reside and were omitted from precincts, where they were legally eligible to hold office. In other cases, elected officials had their positions extinguished with no individualized notice.

Training failures. "In Wind Gap, poll workers were observed allowing voters to choose either party's primary ballot regardless of voter registration status. This procedural defect allows members of opposing parties to influence each other's primary elections. In Bath, the judge of elections was observed instructing that individuals who already voted would not be permitted back into the voting area, and that it did not matter whether they possessed valid poll watcher credentials. A clear violation of election law.

Election system failures. "Electronic poll books were not updated before the polls opened to identify voters who had already cast mail-in ballots. As a result, voters who already voted by mail could still appear eligible to vote at the polls, and the primary safeguard against duplicate voting was not functioning for a substantial portion of the election day.

These are not isolated mistakes. They are part of a pattern. Election integrity is measured by execution. Accurate ballots, accurate poll books, properly trained election workers. These are the core functions of election administration. When election administration failures become recurring events as they have in Northampton County, public confidence begins to erode. ... The voters of Northampton County are not asking for perfection. We are asking for competence.

Based on these issues, GOP Comm'n members Scott Hough and Shawn Welch suggested that the county suspend any pop-up elections in November. But they were outvoted by Democratic Commission members Sharon Gavin-Levy, Richard Groff and Becky Bartlett. Groff said the county could simply hire more people to help run elections, but the reality is that it takes several cycles for a temp or even a full-time worker to understand the system. 

I understand why the Democrats voted as they did. But I believe the county should focus on doing what the law mandates before getting into things that would be nice to see. In November, when turnout is going to be much higher, these mistakes are going to grow. 

NorCo Registrar Voting Discusses Upcoming Primary

At yesterday's meeting of NorCo's Elections Commission, Registrar Chris Commini acknowledged that human error still exists with mail-in ballots (MIBs) resulting in the wrong ballots neing sent to voters. But unlike last year, the elections office caught the error itself. He also reported on a less than stellar turnout at a pop-up voting event at NorCo Community College.

Northampton County's Election Comm'n is charged under both the Home Rule Charter and state law with the administration of elections, but in practice, the Executive has made decisions that should be in their wheelhouse, even to the point of selecting the Voting Registrar.  This has led to controversy in the past, but yesterday's meeting was focused on the upcoming primary. 

It is a five-member body consisting of three members of the majority and two members of the minority parties. The Democratic members are Chair Sharon Gavin-Levy, Becky <strike>Bradley</strike> Bartlett and Richard Groff. Republican members are Scott Hough and Shawn Welch.

Pop-Up Voting. - Commini told the Board that there were just three voters at the pop-up voting event held at Northampton Community College. Not many popped up. The turnout was better at Lafayette College, where 31 people obtained a ballot-by-demand. Two more pop-up events are scheduled in Upper Mount Bethel (last night) and at Lower Saucon Tp's Municipal Bldg (9am-12pm on Friday). 

Ballots on-demand. So far, 44 voters have sought ballots-on demand. 

Mail-in Ballots. - 24,494 ballots were mailed on the 1st day. As of yesterday, an additional 1,232 MIBs have been sent. 

Elections Office Errors. If something can go wrong, it will. There is no exception to Murphy's Law, even when it comes to elections in an office that is now charged with conducting four elections (MIBs, in-person, ballot-on-demand and pop-up voting) 

According to Commini, some voters received an incorrect party ballot. On top of this, some voters received a duplicate ballot package due to labeling. "I just want to point out that the voters have been instructed to destroy one of those packets, and the machine we have in place does not allow them to submit both ballots." Finally, one precinct initially received incorrect ballots. This error was identified and all affected voters were contacted directly and provided with the correct ballot. Commini said he was aware who was responsible for this mistakes and tht the matter is being handled internally. 

Lehigh County Considers Adding Independent to Elections Board

Every Pennsylvania county has a board of elections or elections commission, whose job is to administer elections each year. In NorCo, the elections commission consists of three members of the majority party and two members of the minority party. In Lehigh, the elections board consists of the county executive or his designee, one member of the majority party and one member of the minority party. If he is up for re-election or running for another office, the President Judge appoints someone to replace him, but that person must be from the same party as the executive. 

In both counties, the elections board is designed to give the majority party the deciding vote. This bothered Sarah Fevig, a newly elected Lehigh County Commissioner. So she went to work, drafting and researching a proposed change to Lehigh County's Home Rule Charter that will add an independent voter to the board. That way, the ability of the major parties to politicize the elections process will be minimized. A measure like this, which requires the assent of voters in a county-wide referendum, could also help restore faith in the integrity of our elections.  

Fevig gave a detailed explanation of her rationale at a committee meeting on Wednesday. She proposes  modernizing the county’s election governance structure to better reflect current demographic, political, and institutional realities. Lehigh's Home Rule Charter, established in 1978 and last updated in 1986, provides for a three-member board: the county executive and one representative from each major political party. She believes this results in a partisan majority and presents potential conflicts of interest, particularly when the executive must recuse himself as a candidate.

She added that there's been significant changes over time—including substantial population growth, an increase in independent voters, and evolving national concerns about election integrity. She suggests that her proposal establishes a more balanced and representative system.

Under her proposal, the election board would expand from three to five members. It would include two representatives from each of the two largest political parties, but importantly, would add one representative from the third-largest affiliation. Currently, this would result in two Democrats, two Republicans, and one independent member. It would eliminate any single-party majority and introduce a broader range of perspectives.

The independent member would have to be someone who has been registered as an independent for two years.

Current elected officials and candidates would be unable to serve on the board, aiming to reduce political influence and conflicts of interest. Political parties could still nominate candidates, but residents would also be able to apply and participate in interviews for board positions.

The Board of Commissioners to remove members for cause if they fail to properly fulfill their duties. Furthermore, the county executive (or designee) would continue to participate as a non-voting, ex officio member, ensuring coordination between the election board and the county administration without exerting direct control.

Lehigh County is indisputably blue, so as a political matter, why would Democrats support this change? Fevig, several Democratic Commissioners like Dan Hartzell and Geoff Brace, offered their support. It was even supported by Exec Josh Siegel. They argue this reform will strengthen public trust in elections by ensuring fairness, transparency, and shared responsibility across political lines. Particular attention was given to the growing number of independent voters and the importance of including their representation in election oversight.

The next step is to present this proposal as a ballot measure for voters to consider in November, allowing the public to directly decide whether to adopt the new system.

This is perhaps the best piece of legislation I've seen in county government in recent years. Northampton County should consider a similar measure. 

"Pop Up" Voter Service Events Proposed as a Pilot in NorCo

Every election cycle, Northampton County's elections office conducts what amounts to three elections. First, mail-in balloting enables a voter to apply for and either mail in his choice for various offices or drop off his ballot at one of seven secure ballot boxes throughout the county. Second, ballot-by-demand enables a voter to appear at the elections or a satellite office, request his ballot and complete it on the spot.  Third, there's traditional in-person voting at precincts on election day. Now, elections registrar Chris Commini is proposing a fourth election. At a special meeting of the elections commission yesterday, he sought a blessing for "pop up voter service events to expand access for voters in Northampton County ahead of the 2026 primary election."

Commini said that pop-up voter services are the same as that provided with ballot-by-demand at the county or satellite offices, but at different locales. People can register to vote, complete a mail-in ballot application, receive their ballot and either drop it off or take home for review. A $40 drop box will be available and will be returned to the elections office by deputy sheriffs. These services would exist until May 12, the last day on which mail-in ballots can be requested. 

The two locations under consideration are Lafayette College and Northampton Community College. While this might make it easier for students to register and vote, it will be difficult for the elderly or handicapped to walk the rather large parking lots at Northampton Community College or to find convenient parking at Lafayette. So it's really no service to the elderly. But if the pilot program is successful in this year's primary, Commini noted that these services could be offered at numerous fairs and festivals with a more diverse audience. I'd suggest that it be offered at area nursing homes and senior housing as well. Solicitor Michael Vargo and Commini both noted that Montgomery County uses a van as a satellite office for ballot by demand at different events. 

The sole Commissioner to vote No to this proposal was Scott Hough. "I'm worried about security and I'm worried about fairness," he said. Since the pop-up event would be manned by existing staff and the mobile drop box would be transported by deputy sheriffs, it appears that this is secure. But fairness? In a primary, pop-up services that target two colleges might adversely impact more conservative Democrats. And in a general election, pop-up services that are limited to colleges would be a boon to Democrats and would hurt Republicans.  For that reason, it would be important to have locations that attract Republicans. 

On top of this concern is Murphy's Law. If something can go wrong, it will. In recent years, we've had machine failures, ballot issues and voters who have received ballots for the wrong district. I am far from confident that this is the right time and would be more comfortable with this laudable effort to increase access if we could first pull of one or two elections without too many issues. Perhaps that is never possible.  

According to Commini, NorCo would be the first county to offer pop-up voter services. Solicitor Michael Vargo and Commini both noted that Montgomery County uses a van as a satellite office for ballot by demand at different events. 

NorCo's Final Turnout in Municipal Races Has Nearly Doubled Since 2015

At yesterday's meeting of Northampton County's Elections Commission, Voter Registrar Chris Commini said he was "elated" by a 40.2% turnout in what is usually considered a sleepy municipal race. He has good reason to be pleased, if not also a little tired. Review of previous elections results reveal that turnout in municipal elections has nearly doubled since 2015. In that year, turnout was 21.13%. It increased in 2017 (22.54%) and 2019 (28.05%). This increased to 32.50% in 2021 and 33.18% in 2023. While kitchen table issues are probably the main reason for this increased interest, it's undeniable that mail-in ballots (MIBs), ballot-by demand (called "early voting" by some), and drop boxes have made voting more convenient. Provisional balloting has also played a role in ensuring that votes are counted.

Election day ballots (61,339) still outnumbered MIBs (30,542) by a factor of nearly 2 to 1. In addition, people uncertain of their status are voting provisionally. In this year's race, 343 provisional ballots were counted. 

Do drop boxes help increase turnout? According to Commini, 6,400 votes came in from the 7 drop boxes throughout the county. In addition, 457 voters exercised "ballot by demand" at the courthouse and another 44 received MIBs at the Fowler Center.

There are risks to MIBs. If you wait too long to use the post office, you run the risk of having your ballot arrive too late to be counted. You could forget to sign or date the return envelope. But the biggest issue is the problem of "naked ballots." These are ballots from voters who fail to place their MIB in a secrecy envelope to ensure that their vote is private. If a voter makes this mistake, his vote will be automatically invalidated. Elections Solicitor Michael Vargo said ballot sorting machines can sometimes sense that there is no secrecy envelope, and in those cases, attempts are made to contact the voter. But even with this precaution, he said that there are still a "regrettable number" of naked ballots that are only discovered on election day when the envelopes are opened. Those ballots are voided.

How about write-ins? Registrar  Commini said there were a staggering number of 9,400 write-ins, but only 593 were legitimate. There were 114 ties, mostly in races for judges of election and other elections workers. Those ties will be decided by a casting of the lots on Friday. 

Were there problems with the machines on election day? Commini reported that one precinct in Forks was supplied with an additional voting machine because of long lines. At Gracedale, a machine broke down and a replacement was provided. In a Lower Saucon precinct with three machines, one machine had a broken interior cable, but the judge of elections said he could make do with two. In Lehigh Tp, one precinct experienced a power outage, but machines were able to operate on battery until power was restored.  

Two problems occurred before election day. One involved MIBs for Easton's West Ward City Council race. The other concerned the voting machine ballot design for cross-filed candidates.  

Easton West Ward's City Council race was between Julie Zando Dennis and Sharbel Koorie. As a result of human error, one voter received the wrong ballot. Commini said he thought this was an "isolated" error but nevertheless took action. He determined that 50 ballots went out to the affected precinct on October 1, the same day wrong ballot was sent. Attempts were made to contact these voters by phone and email. New ballots were sent to these voters as well. 29 voters returned a replacement ballot. 12 voters returned the original ballot. 2 requested to keep original ballot, 3 went to the precinct and voted provisionally or surrendered their ballot to be able to vote on the machine. 4 did not return the ballot or vote in person. 

I have previously written about the ballot design on voting machines for cross-filed candidates, who are listed only under one party. This differs from the design on write-in ballots. President Judge Craig Dally has concluded that the ballot design as it appeared on the voting machine is legal, but Commini and Vargo were both questioned about the possibility of making the voting machine ballot identical to what appears on the mail-in ballot, which makes no party differentiation. Both said they would need to discuss this possibility with the voting machine vendor.   

Elections Comm'r Scott Hough complained that the county refused to schedule a "special meeting" the day before the election, which Solicitor Vargo told him was logistically impossible. It was, after all, the day before the election. But Hough said that when things go south, as they sometimes do, it is the elections commission that gets scapegoated. 

He also found it odd that the elections office refused to allow him and another Commissioner to view the machine ballot on the machine, especially when their signatures are on the ballot. He and other members agreed the elections commission needs to have more than four scheduled meetings a year and should be able to review the ballot before it becomes official. 

Before the meeting ended, Commini expressed his thanks to his Deputy, Amy Hess, who has been a steady hand in years of elections. He appreciates his staff, who actually conduct four elections in one cycle (MIBs, ballot by demand, precent voting and satellite offices). He was also grateful to employees in other departments, from maintenance to court administration, as well as retirees. 

Though there are bumps in the road in nearly every election, especially municipal races, this was about as good as it gets. 

NorCo Elections Comm's to Meet November 18, 3 PM

Acting Administrator Michael Colon announced at last night's meeting of NorCo Council that the Elections Commission will meet on Tuesday, November 18, 3 pm, in County Council chambers. Since they are meeting in Council chambers, it will hopefully be available on YouTube. At that meeting, Elections Registrar Chris Commini will give his report on the most recent election. 

Colon did discuss a few problems encountered in the days leading up to the election.

In Easton City Council race for District Two, a voter received a mail-in ballot for another district. The elections office nullified the ballot and provided this voter with the correct ballot. It also reached out to the 48 people in that district who received ballots that day (by email, phone or call) to give them the option to get new ballots and have the ballot sent nullified. These votes will be segregated and counted separately. It should be noted that even if all of them received the wrong ballot, it makes no difference because the winner, Julie Zando-Dennis, won by over 300 votes. 

Colon also addressed the machine ballots for school district candidates who were cross-filed, who are only listed once and only on the Democratic side of the ballot. (The cross-filed candidate appears on the side of the Governor's party He noted this change was made necessary by the 2019 changes to the Election Code. I believe this interpretation of the Election Code is incorrect, but the President Judge has a different view. His opinion matters a bit more than that of a dumpster-diving blogger. 

Finally, Colon addressed the situation in which two elections commissioners asked to see Executive Lamont McClure to view the physical machine. One of these Comm'rs, Scott Hough, said that McClure walked out without even acknowledging them. But Colon told County Council that McClure simply was unaware at the time he left that the Commissioners were there to see him. 

Colon also said that the request for an elections commission meeting on the day before the election was simply impossible as the Registrar is busy that day.  

PJ Craig Dally Denies Ballot Challenges Filed by Cross-Filed Nazareth Area School Board Candidates

In a well-considered Opinion and Order issued yesterday, President Judge Craig A Dally denied petitions to correct ballot errors filed by Nazareth Area School Board candidates Wendy Whiteash and Linda Stubits. Both had cross-filed and expected to see their names listed under both parties, which is precisely how cross-filed candidates appeared on a ballot prior to the massage changes to the Election Code enacted in 2019. Instead, they were listed only once, as "Democratic/Republican," on the Democratic side of the ballot. They were listed on the Democratic side because cross-filed candidates are listed under the party of the Governor in office. Both are Republicans, and they argued that the way they were listed would discourage partisan Republicans from voting for them. Both candidates, incidentally, won their election on Tuesday. 

Though they acted pro se, Judge Dally notified the county of their concerns and conducted a two-hour hearing on Friday. Although he acknowledged that he has the authority to issue an Order to correct a "mistake or omission" in a ballot, he noted that he is also bound by strict rules of statutory interpretation that prevent a judge from disregarding the letter of the law under the pretext of "pursuing its spirit." He then went on to point out that the current Election Code provides that, for cross-filed candidates, "[t]heir name shall be printed once."

In a footnote, Judge Dally observes that the 2019 changes to the Election Code under Act 77 were the very same that instituted mail-in balloting as well as the elimination of straight party voting. He concludes this change "effectively eliminated the requirement to list cross-filed candidates on both sides of the ballot as voters could no longer vote for candidates only from one of the parties with a single mark or act." He also pointed out that Act 77 was challenged and upheld by the state supreme court. 

In addition, Judge Dally contends that this is matter that should have been brought to the Elections Commission. He received no evidence that the Elections Commission failed to properly review the ballot before the election.

I very much appreciate the time Judge Dally took to weigh these concerns, although I disagree with his conclusions. It is true that Act 77 provides that the name of a cross-filed candidate shall be listed once, but it never states that the name shall be listed "only" once. The conclusion that the name shall be published only once is itself a matter of statutory interpretation that goes beyond the language of the statute. 

It's also true that Act 77 eliminated straight party voting, but even if a candidate is listed under both sides as a Democrat and as a Republican, it is still impossible to vote straight party. This double -labeling just prevents voters from thinking that a cross-filed candidate whose name is listed under a Democratic Governor is actually a Democrat. It also would prevent voters from thinking that a cross-filed candidate whose name is listed under a Republican Governor is actually a Republican. 

I am aware that Act 77 has been upheld, but not on this issue. 

I'd agree that the Elections Commission would be the proper venue for this challenge in the first instance. But unfortunately, the Court was never presented with evidence that the Elections Commission was itself never provided with an opportunity to review the ballot. 

Finally, I'd contend, under Judge Dally's interpretation of Act 77, it violates the Pa Constitution requirement that all elections be "free and fair." There is nothing fair about penalizing a cross-filed ballot by restricting her to one side of the ballot. But unfortunately, courts have no authority to raise constitutional issues on their own and operate from a presumption that all statutes are constitutional. 

I'd hope that the state legislature revises Act 77 or that the language be challenged in a future action in which the courts and parties have more time to consider all issues. 

PJ Craig Dally Denies Petition to Correct Ballot Challenge Filed by Wendy Whiteash by BernieOHare

Cross-filed Nazareth School Board Candidates Seek Judicial Relief Over Machine Ballot in NorCo

Last week, I told you that the machine ballot in the Nazareth Area School Board race is flawed because it actually penalizes a cross-filed candidate who has the nomination of both parties. I have since learned that this problem exists in multiple school board elections. On Friday, Linda Stubits and Wendy Whiteash, who crossfiled as Republicans and Democrats and secured the nomination of both parties, have sought changes to Northampton County's ballot by appearing in Motions Court before President Judge Craig Dally. They are listed on the Democratic side of the ballot but not on the Republican side. Both acted without lawyers, but the court conducted a two-hour hearing after making sure the county was present. When he rules on this matter, I hope to let you know.

To explain this county-wide situation a bit more clearly, let me stick for now with the three candidates in Nazareth. You can vote for two. Christine Stofko is running as a Democrat. Kathryn Roberts is running as a Republican. Linda Stubits cross-filed and is running as both a Democrat and Republican. 

This is what appears on the sample ballot. 

Stubits is listed on the Democratic side of the ballot, as she should be. But the county has refused to list her on the Republican side of the ballot, where she also belongs.

Let's say you're a hard-core Republican and will only vote for someone you know is a Republican. If you look at that ballot, you're only going to cast one vote, and it will be for Roberts. Stubits, who is also a Republican nominee, will miss out because she is listed on the Democratic side.

The county contends it is simply following the Election Code. It cites this provision: "Whenever any candidate shall receive more than one nomination for the same office, his name shall be printed once, and the names of each political party so nominating him shall be printed opposite the name of such candidate, arranged in the same order as candidates names are required to be arranged." (25 P.S. 2963d). 

Not that the statute provides that "the name shall be printed one," not "only once." Moreover, this provision needs to be read in conjunction with other provisions of the Election Code. It assumes that the ballot is in substantially the same form as mandated by the Election Code, which requires that the ballot should be organized by race, not party. (25 P.S. 2963a). In fact, it even provides an example of what the official ballot should look like. 

 

Northampton County's Mail-in Ballot (MIB) is arranged this way, The names of the political parties appear under the candidate, and are not opposite the name of the candidate, as required by the Code. The order in which the parties appear (Democratic/Republican) assumes that all the candidates are listed under the race together. There is no danger of voting twice for the same candidate. 

NorCo's machine ballot is completely different. For reasons that elude me, the machine ballot is arranged by party, not the specific race. Moreover, the machine ballot was never made available online for public inspection until weeks after the MIBs had been sent. Even more importantly, it was never sent for review and vote by the Elections Commission, which happens in Lehigh. This is yet another  mistake. Elections boards do find errors that can be corrected. My evil Republican brother, who serves on Lehigh's Board, tells me that members were sent copies of the proposed ballot, did find two errors, and then voted in public on approval of the corrected ballot. 

The assertion that the county has "always" arranged ballots under party is incorrect. One reader has sent me a copy of the 2017 machine ballot when he first ran for school board. He was listed under both the Democratic and Republican sides of the ballot. I would provide this example but am keeping his identity confidential.

This provision actually is one of the changes made under Act 77, adopted in 2019. I believe it has been misinterpreted by the county.    

County officials complain that if a cross-filed candidate like Stubits is listed on both sides of the ballot, she could get two votes. That is nonsense. The program underlying the sample ballot can be coded in a way that you can only vote once for the same candidate even if that candidate appears under both parties. 

I have reviewed the sample ballots for six counties. All of them appear precisely like NorCo's MIB. I have seen none prepared the way the county contends is correct, although I'm told the county did represent at the hearing that some counties follow the same practice as NorCo. 

Here's an example from Bucks. 

And another from Lackawanna. 

They arrange the ballot by race, not party. The ballot, as it appears on NorCo's voting machines, is simply wrong. 

Assuming that Stubits has standing and can show harm, she and other similarly situated candidates are entitled to relief. The Election Code specifically provides, "When it is shown by affidavit that mistake or omission has occurred in the printing of official ballots or ballot labels for any primary or election, the court of common pleas of the proper county, or any judge thereof, may, upon the application of any qualified elector of the county, require the county board of elections to correct the mistake or omission, or to show cause why they should not do so."

The way the ballot has been prepared is actually contrary to the dictates of the Election Code. Moreover, it violates a provision in the Pa Constitution stating they must be "free and equal." The ballot being used in NorCo actually penalizes a candidate for having the nomination of both parties.

There is, however, a logistical problem. There is no way that the county can fix this error and perform the necessary logic and accuracy testing on the machines before election day. So I doubt this can be addressed until after the election.  I would hope that happens, and the sooner the better. There is no doubt in my mind that a cross-filed candidate who appears only under one of the political parties is going to suffer.

NorCo Council Takes No Action Over Keegan Remarks

Last week, in response to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, NorCo Council member Kelly Keegan, who is also a nurse at the Easton Area School District, posted this remark on her Facebook page: "He was a monster and his wife and kids are better off without him as is the rest of the world. Hopefully her next partner will respect women and children." The backlash was swift, Many people have called for her resignation from County Council and ouster as a nurse. According to Lehigh Valley Live, she may have been placed on administrative leave by the district superintendent. At last night's meeting of County Council, 15 members of the public weighed in on what Keegan said. Keegan herself was participating by phone instead of being physically present, possibly out of concerns for her own personal security. A deputy Sheriff stood in the well, keeping an eye on the public. After all the talking was done, Council took no action against Keegan. No censure. No stripping of committee assignments. Not even a request for her to step down. They did adopt yet another one of their toothless resolutions, this time condemning political violence in the strongest possible terms. But that was it. 

Of the 15 people who spoke, 3 of them actually supported Keegan. Gail Preunenger, a former Democratic member of the elections commission and regular donor to Tara Zrinski, called on council to "stop the erosion of freedom of speech" and allow Keegan to continue. An Easton High School student said that "everyone who wants Keegan to resign is biased." 

The remaining speakers all wanted some kind of disciplinary action, although most of them acknowledged that Council has no authority to oust a member. That can only be done by the General Assembly's impeachment process, conviction of an infamous crime or at the ballot box. 

Of the dozen speakers who were asking for some sort of discipline, I was most stuck by Christina Martinez. Actually, it was her 9 year old son whose words tell me we have a problem. When she told him she was coming to county council to urge action against Keegan, he expressed concern. "What if they shoot you?" he asked his mother. 

A 9-year-old child should not have to worry that his mother is putting his life in danger when she petitions her government for the redress of grievances. The fact that he would think this is a sorry indictment of just how far we've fallen in our democratic form of government. Martinez said we are entitled to leaders who "lift us up." We've seen the opposite, and that is pretty much true of Keegan. But it's also true of Donald Trump.  

After everyone had finished, Council President Lori Vargo Heffner read a statement: 

I have received several messages from constituents this week with concerns about a social media post. I want to acknowledge reading all of them and thank our citizens for participating in county government with their correspondence. I want to address some of those concerns. I have consulted with our solicitor, and we have reviewed the Home Rule Charter, Administrative Code and our council code of conduct. While the county has a clear social media policy for employees, it does not apply to Council, as we are elected officials and not supervised by the Administration. We are a body comprised of 9 members who serve at the pleasure of those who elected us to fill these positions. We take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We are expected to collaborate, debate, discuss issues and oversee the county budget and create legislation. We are expected to follow our code of civility, to have these discussions with respect for everyone’s opinion. While some of us are subdued in our approach and others more vociferous, we all have a right to have our opinions heard in this room. What any of us think, feel, or believe outside of this room in the privacy of our own lives is not governed by this code. We as a body have limited authority to call for the removal of a commissioner, and according to the Charter, these conditions are not met by private actions on social media. 

 As President of Council, I was elected to ensure that this body runs smoothly, and I have made it my mission to ensure that each of us gets time and deference to express our views in meetings. I take the separation of powers seriously and defend this body’s right to independently make decisions. I serve all the citizens of the county and choose to do so with decorum and dignity, not dysregulation. I was elected to serve in this role and recognize that this means to represent all of you, respective of party, privilege, beliefs. I take the privilege of the public’s right to address us just as seriously and ask for your respect and tolerance of us while doing so. While I may disagree with my colleagues at times either professionally or personally, I will continue to honor the code and work of this body as a whole. I continue to be willing to hear you and to the best of my ability, address your concerns when possible. Thank you for hearing and supporting this Council’s work.

Vargo Heffner had a perfect opportunity to bury Keegan, who has actively undermined her and has done her best to turn other Democrats against her. Instead of seeking a censure, for which there is precedent, she chose to take the high road. And even John Goffredo, County Council's most vocal conservative, agreed with her. He said the people should decide whether they want Keegan to continue, not Council. But he added that if she wanted to resign, he'd be happy to accept it.  

McClure Defends Plans For "Ballot on Demand" Stations in Washington Tp and South Bethlehem

At last night's meeting of NorCo Council, Executive Lamont McClure defended plans to open two satellite elections offices - one in Washington Tp and one in South Bethlehem - to enable voters to request a "ballot on demand" instead of having to come to the courthouse. In last year's presidential race, over 7,000 people visited the courthouse for a "ballot on demand," which enables a voter to request a mail-in ballot in person and then complete it on the spot. 

NorCo GOP Chair Geissinger and Charles Baltic, an attorney who lives in Upper Mount Bethel Township, earlier this week threatened the elections commission with a lawsuit over the establishment of satellite offices. 

Geissinger asked County Council "to do all that you can within your power to put the brakes on this runaway administration and it's ill-conceived notion that for some reason, we need to put an on-demand satellite office in a polling precinct that had a whopping turnout of 44 voters in the municipal primary that just concluded."

He blasted plans for a satellite office in South Bethlehem, which he described as "the one place in the county, that probably is most open to transient individuals, not properly registered, or possibly registered in two locations to vote in Northampton County, and thus disenfranchises  the very citizens who pay taxes so that you can represent them, so that this building can stand, so that all of the services, the hundreds of millions of dollars of services that our citizens require, that you oversee, can be disenfranchised by an administration that has once again proven that election integrity is nowhere on its list of priorities.

"Mr. McClure has failed multiple times to run good elections.

"Use your authority and your power to ensure he doesn't do it again."

McClure responded that of the 7,000 people who requested a "ballot on demand" at the courthouse during the presidential race, 62% were Republican. 

"They were registered Republicans, so we know we have actual empirical data that suggests that the people who like to vote in person on paper are Republicans.

"So there's no partisan motivation for us doing this.

"Why we're doing this is on the south side, and then we'll talk about Washington Township.

"And by the way, Washington Township has one of the largest precincts in Northampton County.

"And that is overwhelmingly Republican.

"And we're not considering that at all.

"We're considering that as a place where people can go to vote on demand.

"One of the things about the on demand site in the south side of Bethlehem, now that we know that it's Republicans who like to vote in person on demand early, maybe the Republicans from Lower Saucon Township or Hellertown Borough will turn out even in greater numbers to go vote in person on demand early at this new site on the south side of Bethlehem.

"So there was absolutely no partisan motivation whatsoever.

"But what our site on the south side of Bethlehem was meant to do?

McClure said it would combat election interference. He noted that, during the Presidential race, the NorCo GOP Vice Chair "was routinely interfering with the judge of elections who we've demonstrated had some of his own issues that day, routinely interfering with the judge of elections throughout the day, so that line continued to be slow."  People who lined up to vote there waited as long as six hours, according to national news outlets. 

"So part of our reaction is part of the reason we're doing this in preparation of the next presidential election is beginning the process to perfect the process, so we never have a situation like we had at the banana factory."

We're gonna' make sure we completely rule that out.

He added that Washington Township supervisors "are considering our plan to have an on demand in person site there.

"The supervisors approve it, we'll be there, and we'll be happy to be there."

NorCo GOP Threatens Litigation if Two Additional "Ballot By Demand" Stations Are Established

Thanks to recent changes in state law, county elections offices actually conduct three elections instead of just one. First, you can vote at your polling station on election day. Second, you can request a mail-in ballot (MIB) and vote by mail or by dropping your ballot off at one of several drop box locations. Finally, you can get a "ballot by demand" from the county elections office, fill it out and drop it off once MIBs are available. At their June meeting, NorCo's elections commission authorized the administration to pursue the establishment of two additional "ballot by demand" stations in South Bethlehem and Washington Township. The vote was 3-2, with Democrats supporting two additional stations and Republicans opposed. NorCo Republicans have now threatened to sue if these stations are actually established. 

Charles Baltic, an attorney who resides in Upper Mount Bethel and is a committee member, told the Commission that the establishment of two additional satellite offices is contrary to election law. "Should the commission or the county elections department move forward with this plan to establish one or more satellite county election offices, litigation to prevent this will be forthcoming," he warned.

Baltic's sentiments were echoed by Glenn Geissinger, who apparently is still the NorCo GOP chair and has yet to move to Schuylkill County as its new Finance Director. Geissinger also claimed that these satellite offices are illegal. "You have essentially authorized this administration to place an on demand voting location without any kind of empirical data in a precinct that is 80-20 in its Democrats to Republican registration, you have done it without any kind of parameters on its openings, the security of ballots or the integrity of the vote. It is an abominable assault on our democracy. Period."

Solicitor Michael Vargo advised the elections commission that he believes these satellite office locations are legal and would prepare a memo outlining his reasoning. 

County Administrator Nicole Pietrzak said that Washington Tp Supervisors have yet to vote on establishing a satellite office there, and that the county and Fowler Center in South Bethlehem are still considering whether a satellite office there is feasible.

In his report, Elections Registrar Chris Commini noted the following:

Last day to register - October 20.

Last day to apply for MIB or on demand voting - October 28, 5 pm

Last day to return MIBs - November 4, 8 pm.

Election Day - November 4. If you are in line by 8 pm, you must be permitted to vote. 

Canvassing the Vote (Official Tally) - starts November 7

Registered voters - 227,887.

MIB enrollees - 27,069. 

Election Day - November 4.

He had a message for voters as well. If you have any concerns about your registration, polling location or status of a MIB, contact a trusted source.

These are (1) the Northampton County Elections Division at 610-829-6260 between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm Monday thru Friday; (2) The Department of State website, which is vote.pa.gov, or (3) you can call the Department of state at 1-877-868-3772.

NorCo Election Results Are Now Official

Northampton County's election results are now official. Results were certified yesterday by the Elections Commission. 

Registrar Chris Commini said 40,558 votes were cast, including 21,916 election day votes and 86 provisional ballots counted of 106 cast. Though turnout overall is just 17.9%, Commini noted that this was an election in which only Democrats and Republicans could vote, and that the turnout among those voters was 22%. 

How did it break down by party? 15,489 Republicans and 25,099 Democrats voted. 

The Mail-in Ballot (MIB) return rate was 75%.

Following the canvass (official count) results were audited and the county passed without issue. 

There will be a casting of lots at 10 am Friday for ballot position in races involving several candidates. 

Commini explained that consistent with what state law allows, MIBs are precanvassed starting at 7 am election day. Throughout the day, more MIBs come in from the post office and drop boxes. If an envelope fails to scan, it is hand-scanned. This happened to one Bethlehem voter whose vote was counted. 

Lehigh University has expressed a willingness to host a ballot-by-demand office several days a week prior to the election, and the county administration sought input from the elections commission. Member Margie DeRenzis moved to pursue that opportunity. "I think it makes it more likely that students will vote," she argued. "We want everyone's voices heard." Chair Sharon Gavin-Levy said that the Fowler Center should be asked to host it because parking is better. Currently, the only place to vote on demand is at the elections office in Easton.

"Why are we coddling college students?" asked member Julia Geissinger. 

Eventually, Republican members argued for an additional ballot by demand location in the northern tier as well as south side Bethlehem.

A vote on requesting the county to pursue opportunities for on-demand voting in south Bethlehem and the northern tier passed by a 3-2 vote. It passed in a party-line vote. Democrats Sharon Gavin-Levy, Margie DeRenzis and Daniel Lopresti voted yes. Republicans Julia Geissinger and Scott Hough voted No. 

UPDATED: Something Stinks in Plainfield Tp

Jonathan Itterly was an appointed (not elected) Plainfield Tp. Supervisor whose term expires at the end of 2025. Now he's going to have to win an election. He's running for both a two-year and six-year term against fellow Republicans Jane Mellert and Ken Fairchild, who is yet another appointed Supervisor.  

Mellert has filed a PrePrimary report to acknowledge that she has spent $348.17. But neither Itterly nor Fairchild have filed anything. So what?, would be my first reaction. After all, Plainfield Tp is small enough that I would think most candidates would have no need to raise a lot of money. 

But Itterly has not one, but two electronic billboards advertising his candidacy. They are located near MacDonalds. He also has a large number of campaign signs. No disclaimers on the billboards.  

It is my understanding that a candidate who wants to advertise on that billboard must pay about $1,100.

So does Fairchild, although they might be left over from his last campaign. 

This is beginning to smell very much like the landfill, and for good reason. The landfill in Plainfield Township wants to expand, but to do so it will need to have some property rezoned. To make things easier, Township Supervisors have already disbanded their Environmental Advisory Commission. That way they can avoid some complaints They've also ignored their own Planning Commission, which has advised against rezoning. Instead, they voted in April to hire a third-party consultant - Strategic Solutions - to tell them what they and the landfill want to hear. 

The public has a right to know who is paying for Itterly's billboard and campaign signs. His refusal to follow the law evinces a lack of regard for the public he ostensibly wishes to serve. I suspect his true master is the landfill. 

The lack of a disclaimer is one thing, but it's clear that Itterly is breaking basic campaign law. The DA's office needs to review what has happened here. 

UPDATED 2 PM: This story requires a bit of an explanation and an apology.  I wrote it and posted without first discussing the matter with Itterly. That was wrong. I spoke with him today. He acknowledged he has filed no expense report because he does not really know what the expense is and will do so when he receives a bill. He followed advice from the elections office, so he acted in good faith and violated no law. 

Campaign finance law (25 PS 3246 (B) (5)) does require a report for all unpaid debts and obligations, and I believe it should have been reported with the amount left blank, as I see some candidates do. But I could be interpreting the law too strictly.

Itterly also tells me that his sign does include a disclaimer and that the EAC was disbanded due to lack of interest. Finally, he said that "putting garbage in the ground is the worst thing in the world." 

Cozze and Zrinski Trade Blows in Fiery NorCo Exec Debate

On Monday evening, Lehigh Valley News, aka PBS39, aka WLVR, aka Lehigh Valley Public Media, hosted a debate between Democratic NorCo Exec candidates Amy Cozze and Tara Zrinski. The winner of the primary will face Republican Tom Giovanni in November. He has no primary opponent. He was invited to participate, but said he'd rather wait for the general election. It was a good thing he stayed away because the knives were out in what turned out to be a rather testy debate between the two Democratic contenders.

Overall, I'd say that Cozze had a bit more poise than Zrinski, and that Zrinski seemed more empathetic than Cozze.  As one watcher put it, "Zrinski was loud, and Cozze was snotty." Zrinski has spent years as an activist on local environmental issues before running for office and tends to treat every speaking event as though it's a rally. Sometimes, and last night is an example, this is a negative. Conversely, Cozze's brief career in government has been as a bureaucrat, where she appears to have mastered the art of deflection. 

The biggest hit at Zrinski came, not from Cozze, but from a question that moderator Ryan Gaylor asked. Zrinski. He noted she has run for 6 different offices over the past 9 years and promised him after her election as county controller that she'd stay in office for the entire four years. Zrinski said she'd liked to have remained there, but "was asked by so many people to tun. I felt I had a responsibility and a duty to my county to run." She assured Gaylor that is he is elected, she will stay in the Executive office for four years, and this time, she really, really, really, really, really, really means it. Really.  

Cozze would later say to Zrinski, "You have shown [voters] that your word is not good." 

There was a big hit on Cozze as well. Northampton County currently uses the Express Vote XL system, and this system was definitely pitched to both the Elections Commission and County Council by Cozze. There have been problems with that system in two different elections. Cozze deflected. She denies being "part of the decision-making process" even though it was her research and recommendation that led to the decision to select that system. 

Zrinski would go on to say that some of the policies Cozze created as Registrar led to the 2023 election debacle in which there were insufficient emergency paper ballots on hand after the voting machines went haywire. In the 2023 General election, each precinct was only supplied with 20 emergency ballots, and they ran out quickly. Cozze thought having a large supply of emergency ballots was both too expensive and too heavy.   

Cozze called this accusation a "bold-faced lie," deflecting that a different elections registrar could have initiated a different policy. But a comment she made anonymously on this blog lends truth to Zrinski's assertion.  Cozze definitely was opposed to supplying precinct with paper ballots

How do I know? When I posted on the topic, I received this anonymous comment from the U.S. Senate, where Cozze just happened to be employed.: "Can we just address this paper ballot thing? If the county is going to start sending out hundreds of thousands of paper ballots on election day 'just in case' what the hell is the point of even using the voting machines??? Just switch to an all paper system. The paper ballots are supposed to be for EMERGENCIES not incompetence. ... they need to fire whoever is in charge, not saddle the tax payers with a new outlandish expense."  I'd say that when the machine has to be discontinued, that's an emergency. Also, as Elections Commissioner Dan Lopresti observed, "The cost is tiny compared to what we experienced here."

Cozze criticized the tax cut that Zrinski supported under Executive Lamont McClure, saying the money saved could have been used to help the homeless. 

She slammed the McClure administration for the retention problems at 911, the jail and at Gracedale, and noted pointedly that Zrinski refused to vote for a pay study to determine appropriate salaries. But Zrinski responded that she voted No because the county had no need to spend $100,000 for a pay study and that she did vote for higher wages and retention bonuses. (It should be noted here that the pay study passed by county council covered only nonunion workers, who make up 1/3 of the county workforce.)  

I was a bit surprised to hear Cozze say that "conserving open space as a way to combat warehouse development is lazy policy." That is one of the few weapons county government has, but it has done more by encouraging multi-municipal planning, a point that Zrinski made. Under multi-municipal planning, a member township can assess impact fees if it is impacted by a proposed development. County government has no zoning power in all but two municipalities. 

Cozze deflected yet again when asked about holding the county hostage to her salary demands. As I've previously reported here, she submitted her resignation as NorCo Elections Registrar and made it effective just 12 days before the November 2, 2021 municipal election. In her resignation letter, obtained through a Right-to-Know request, she also complained about stress and her mental and physical health. She put her own interests ahead of the county's core obligation in assuring the citizenry that its votes would be counted. Her blackmail worked. After she got the money she wanted, she rescinded her resignation.

She put her own financial interests ahead of what is best for the county, and in my opinion, that makes her a poor choice for any position in government. But when confronted, she denied she ever appeared in front of council to demand more money or talk about her physical or mental health. That's true. It was all in her October 28, 2021 resignation letter, which I posted on this blog. 

If nothing else, both candidates gave Tom Giovanni a lot of ammunition. 

That's my take. Feel free to make your own arguments.