Luzerne County officials taking measures to fortify security at election office

Election officials in the NEPA county estimate they now spend about 40% of their time on security and working with local law enforcement and emergency managers on election plans.

Luzerne County placed large rocks Tuesday outside a building that houses the offices of its bureau of elections to “fortify security” ahead of the election, county officials said.

The rocks are intended to thwart a vehicle attack on the building, and were among the security measures recommended by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo had requested an assessment by the agency to identify potential vulnerabilities and make suggestions to harden security.

Election officials there estimate they now spend about 40% of their time on security and working with local law enforcement and emergency managers on election plans. This involves regular training to prepare for anything that might interfere with voting or counting ballots.

“It’s very volatile, and Luzerne County reflects what is going on across the country” said Crocamo, who oversees the election office staff. “It seems that people are very emotional, and sometimes that emotion escalates.”

Crocamo is considering purchasing panic buttons for poll managers who will be at some 130 voting locations throughout the county on Election Day. State law in Pennsylvania prohibits law enforcement from being inside polling locations, but Crocamo and her team are speaking with local officials about having emergency responders with their radios at the sites should something happen.

On Tuesday, three Luzerne County residents sued Crocamo to overturn her announcement that she will prevent all four of its drop boxes from being deployed for use by those voting by mail and absentee ballot in the Nov. 5 election.

The lawsuit argues Crocamo lacks authority for statements made last month that the county would not use drop boxes “because of purported safety and security concerns.” 

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