Luzerne County is moving forward with partially certifying the results of the April 23 primary election so that the approval of other vote counts is not delayed by the ongoing legal case in the Republican race for state representative in the 117th House District.
The county's election board members completed the initial certification signing on Friday, excluding the 117th District.
The board has not yet scheduled the certification vote, but it will take place next week. County Election Board Chairwoman Denise Williams stated that the certification meeting will be publicly advertised.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo had announced that the final election certification could not be completed by Monday's deadline due to issues with provisional ballots in the 117th District.
Crocamo stated on Friday that after extensive discussions with legal counsel, the administration decided to proceed with the initial certification signing on Friday.
117th District Republican candidates Jamie Walsh and incumbent Michael Cabell are separated by three votes, with Walsh currently in the lead, based on unofficial results.
Cabell has filed an appeal in the county Court of Common Pleas to have one provisional ballot counted and another rejected. He also requested the counting of write-in votes, although it is uncertain if any were cast for Cabell or Walsh since their names were on the ballot.
A panel of three judges set a 4:30 p.m. Tuesday deadline for all legal briefs and responses in the case and ensured a prompt decision. There is also a possibility of appeals to the Commonwealth Court following this ruling.
Alisha Hoffman-Mirilovich, executive director of the Wilkes-Barre-based In This Together NEPA, expressed concern to county officials about a potential delay in certification beyond the May 13 deadline, stating that no other races are impacted by the ongoing court proceedings in the 117th District.
Hoffman-Mirilovich contended that there is no legal or procedural justification to hold back certification of races not involved in the court disputes in the 117th District.
In the latest unofficial results of the 117th District race, there is no Democratic primary nominee. No Democrats were on the ballot, and there were no write-in winners. A total of 270 write-in votes were cast, falling short of the 300 required to secure the party's nomination and be included on the November general election ballot.
