WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Luzerne County paused the count early due to staffing issues.
The count picked back up this morning, with more than 10,000 ballots left to go.
"That is the challenge. We receive so many back that we have to work very diligently to make sure they are processed correctly and that they are counted correctly, and the right winner is announced," said Alyssa Fusaro, Luzerne County Board of Elections.
Nearly 18,000 mail-in ballots were cast in Luzerne County.
As of 6 p.m. on election day, only 7,000 ballots had been processed and scanned, leaving 11,000 more for election staff and county workers to make their way through.
The county's board of elections blames staffing issues for the pause.
"We found out the email didn't go out to everybody, so that's a possibility of why we didn't have as many people volunteering to work here," Fusaro explained.
But once more volunteers got on board, the count picked up steam. Many people are keeping a close eye on the count; some races in the primary are coming down to the wire- waiting on the mail-in count to declare a winner.
The board encourages all candidates and community members to come to witness the process for future elections.
"It's important for people to come see the process because it allows them to have a little more faith in the process, more faith in us as a board and the bureau," Fusaro said.
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