Elections board approves new mail-in ballot policy for Washington Co.

Following the directive in a recent court order – and after spending more than $75,000 in legal bills – Washington County’s elections board agreed to a policy that will notify voters of disqualifying issues with their mail-in and give them the chance to cast a provisional ballot.

The elections board, which consists of three county commissioners, convened a special meeting Wednesday to lay out the policy regarding mail-in ballots that closely follows Court of Common Pleas Judge Brandon Neuman’s ruling on the subject last month.

“At present, we are operating under the order of Judge Brandon Neuman,” county solicitor Gary Sweat told the elections board.

The policy, which was unanimously approved by Commissioners Nick Sherman, Electra Janis and Larry Maggi, means voters who fail to sign or date the outer envelopes of their mail-in ballots will receive an email or phone call informing them of the problem. Voters who listed their email on their mail-in ballot application will receive an electronic message from the state’s elections database that their vote has been “canceled” – along with the exact reason – and be given instructions on how to cast a provisional ballot at their polling place on Election Day. Voters who did not list an email will receive one phone call from the elections office about the issue, which will then be notated for record keeping.




https://www.heraldstandard.com/editors_pick/2024/oct/03/elections-board-approves-new-mail-in-ballot-policy-for-washington-co/