Pennsylvania

A deficit of experienced voting officials could mean trouble for Pa.’s 2024 election

Published

2 years ago

February 21, 2024

A deficit of experienced voting officials could mean trouble for Pa.’s 2024 election

High turnover risks an increase in mistakes

Some departures, like Feaser’s, were retirements. But regardless of their reason for leaving, data and case studies bear out the intuitive notion that the less experience a county has in its election office, the more errors are likely to occur.

Errors such as instructing voters to vote for the wrong number of candidates, candidates or races being left off the ballot, or improper ballot return instructions have been increasing since 2019.

Four of the five counties with the most ballot and administrative errors since 2019 — as identified through research by Votebeat, Spotlight PA, and the Open Source Election Technology Institute — also were among the counties with the highest turnover.

County and state election officials agreed this past fall that the sharp increase in ballot errors seen in 2023 was due to election official turnover.

And in Luzerne County, where a ballot paper shortage in the 2022 midterm elections prompted outcry from residents and national scrutiny, an investigation by the district attorney determined turnover and the staff’s inexperience were at the heart of the issue.

Luzerne’s most recent director, Eryn Harvey, who returned to the director position in 2023 after that debacle, is departing, leaving the office again with an acting director as it heads into the primary.

“If you’ve never worked in an election, it is difficult to come in that office,” Feaser said.

Feaser’s replacement, deputy Chris Spackman, had the benefit of working closely with Feaser over the past two years, knowing he would be the director when Feaser retired. Other counties are adopting this peer-mentoring strategy as well.

In Snyder County, the former long-time director Patricia Nace has been brought back in a consultant role to help advise Devin Rhoads, the new election director who began in May. Rhoads said she has helped fill in gaps in his knowledge.

When Rhoads first began, there was a lot to learn, and the information coming from the Department of State wasn’t always clear because it contained abbreviations that new directors might not understand.

“Sometimes I wish it would be more like a cookbook,” he said. “So that’s one of the hardest things is we’re just new to this and we don’t know what all these abbreviations and things mean.”

But, since May, things have improved. The Department of State is also tapping into the hands-on experience of election administrators to provide support. It recently hired Dori Sawyer, an election director with roughly two and a half years of experience from Montgomery County, to lead training for new directors.

“I think they finally realized, ‘Oh my, we have all these new people and they don’t know what to do,’” Rhoads said. He recently joined the state’s trainings on its voter roll management system and mail ballot applications.

Schmidt said the department established its training unit to help with transferring institutional knowledge, and it hired a former election director because they wanted someone “who’s been in the trenches” that “can speak from experience.”

In addition to the training unit, the department has created a calendar for directors that identifies pre- and post-election duties and deadlines for 2024, released a new version of its ballot review checklist for counties to use as a resource, and bolstered its county liaison program, among other initiatives.

Schmidt said in his experience he has found that directors are invested in running elections right in all counties because they understand that errors will give “bad actors” something to take advantage of. Schmidt, a Republican, was a city commissioner in Philadelphia during the 2020 election, and achieved national prominence for pushing back against Trump’s claims of fraud.

Still, there is room for improvement. Boockvar, who now runs a consultancy on election security, said the legislature should act to provide more resources for training and provide better standards for universal practices like poll worker training and pre-election equipment testing.

Source link

Click to comment

Pennsylvania

Outrage sparks after Hanover Halloween parade float depicts Holocaust symbolism

Published

17 hours ago

November 2, 2025

Press Room

Outrage sparks after Hanover Halloween parade float depicts Holocaust symbolism

HANOVER, Pa. (WHTM) — Local communities are voicing their concerns after photos were posted to Facebook of a Hanover Area Jaycees Halloween parade float that depicted Holocaust symbolism in Hanover Thursday night.

The float, entered by St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Hanover and towed by Metcalf Cleaning LLC, depicted a replica of an Auschwitz concentration camp gate with the phrase “Arbeit Macht Frei,” which is translated to “Work sets you free.”

The phrase is a prominent symbol of the Nazi concentration camps that killed over six million Jewish people during the Holocaust, according to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum.

The Most Reverend Timothy C. Senior, Bishop of Harrisburg, said in a statement, “The inclusion of this image—one that represents the horrific suffering and murder of millions of innocent people, including six million Jews during the Holocaust—is profoundly offensive and unacceptable. While the original, approved design for this float did not contain this imagery, it does not change the fact that this highly recognizable symbol of hate was included.”

The York Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and the Jewish Federation of Harrisburg also released a joint statement in response to the incident:

“These acts, intentional or not, cause fear and pain for Jewish individuals and all who understand the weight of these symbols. We appreciate Bishop Senior’s acknowledgment of the harm caused and his apology on behalf of the Diocese. Recognizing the impact of such imagery is a vital step toward understanding, healing, and preventing similar incidents in the future.”
YORK JCC, JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER PHILADELPHIA, AND JEWISH FEDERATION OF HARRISBURG

Galen S. Shelly, who identified himself as the creator of the float in the comment section of the original post, wrote a lengthy statement apologizing for the incident, saying, “In that I have erred and will gladly offer this apology for not realizing there were other ways to interpret a part, especially without knowledge of the whole.”

Metcalf Cleaning LLC also apologized for pulling the float that contained the Nazi imagery and slogan, saying, “At the time, we were unaware of its meaning and significance. We recognize that we should have taken a closer look at the float prior to the parade, and we are truly sorry for that oversight.”

Source link

Pennsylvania

Seasonable and dry Sunday, mainly dry through the work week

Published

1 day ago

November 2, 2025

Press Room

Seasonable and dry Sunday, mainly dry through the work week

Partly cloudy and chillier heading through the overnight period. Cool, calm, and crisp conditions for Sunday afternoon with highs in the low 60s. We stay dry through the majority of the work week, but better rain chances arrive later next weekend.

Source link

Pennsylvania

Injured Pennsylvania police officer released from hospital a week after being run over on duty

Published

3 days ago

October 31, 2025

Press Room

Injured Pennsylvania police officer released from hospital a week after being run over on duty

A Pennsylvania police officer who was seriously injured on the job is marking a major milestone in his recovery.

Plymouth Meeting police officer Jake Hennessey was released from Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in University City Friday afternoon. Dozens of fellow police officers lined up outside the emergency room, clapping and cheering, as he was wheeled out on a gurney.

“As a township, we’re very happy to hear the news that Officer Jake Hennessey is being released today,” Lynne Viscio, vice chair of the Plymouth Township Council, said.

On Oct. 24, Hennessey was responding to reports of an erratic driver when the driver of a white Mercedes SUV drove straight toward him in the parking lot of a DoubleTree hotel.

Officials said Hennessey opened fire as the SUV approached — it’s unclear if the bullets hit anyone — before the driver ran him over. After the SUV driver left, Hennessey tried to apply a tourniquet to his own leg, but officials said the driver returned to the parking lot and ran Hennessey over three more times.

Fellow officers have been visiting Hennessey in the hospital daily to make sure he never felt alone during his recovery.

“We’re wishing Officer Hennessey continued healing and look forward to the day he’s back with his fellow officers and the community he serves,” Matt West, township manager for Plymouth Township, said. “Officer Hennessey has shown such incredible strength and determination throughout his recovery.”

West praised medical staff at Penn Presbyterian, saying their expert care and compassion were crucial in helping Hennessey heal.

“I just want to take a moment to thank the doctors and nurses who cared for him, the neighboring police departments who’ve stepped in to help, and the community for the outpouring of kindness, prayers,” West said. “Over the past week, it’s been a whirlwind of emotions, and we can’t do it alone.”

Dalton Lee Janiczek, 21, of Lower Gwynedd, was charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer and other crimes.

Source link