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The 'new normal' - counting mail-in ballots in Lackawanna County

In Lackawanna County, elections officials started sorting mail-in ballots early Tuesday morning to help prepare for counting them later in the night.

SCRANTON, N.Y. — Turnout has been low in Scranton and throughout Lackawanna County, despite a mayoral election in the city and a countywide judge race.

But elections officials told us they were encouraged by the number of mail-in ballots—15,000 voters requested them.

County workers will start counting those ballots once the polls close Tuesday night.

Newswatch 16 stopped by several polling places in Lackawanna County and never saw more than a slow trickle of voters.

There was a flurry of activity in downtown Scranton in the lobby of the Lackawanna County Government Center, where about two dozen county employees prepared to count mail-in and absentee ballots.

"This is a municipal cycle, so not as many voters come out in a municipal cycle. But we have over 15,000 requests for mail-in or absentee ballots. Certainly, the voters are voting by mail and absentee," said Director of Elections Beth Hopkins.

Hopkins says more than 12,000 of those ballots were in hand when Election Day began. They can't be counted until after the polls close, but workers spent the day getting all the ballots ready.

"It's definitely the new normal," Hopkins said. "I think we definitely have it down to a science now. We have a great team in place. We have a supportive administration that helps us get the team ready for Election Day to get the ballots opened and scanned."

This helps save some time after the 2020 primary election. Lackawanna County purchased a letter opening machine that opens the first of two envelopes mail-in voters are sent. Workers then sort the ballots and get them ready to go into the counting machines.

In last November's presidential election, Lackawanna County was the first in Pennsylvania to have its mail-in ballots counted.

Hopkins is hopeful for another smooth general election this time around.

"The first time out, we didn't really know what to expect and how the operation was going to run. But once we got our system in place, it seems like everybody knows their spot and what to do. We're very pleasantly surprised with our process," Hopkins added.

If you received a mail-in ballot in Lackawanna County, you can still have it counted. Voters can drop the ballots off at the Government Center downtown until 8 p.m., the same time that the polling places close.

Get complete election coverage from Newswatch 16 here.

Credit: WNEP

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