Faulty absentee ballots will be replaced by Greene election officials
WAYNESBURG – Greene County voters using absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 municipal election may have inadvertently received ballots that are missing the back side of the first page. All voters who returned absentee ballots will have the opportunity to request and cast a replacement page.
Candidates listed on the backside of that page may have included those running for the offices of constable, school director, judge of elections and inspector of elections in their respective precincts.
Due to a printing error, these offices and candidates may be missing from some absentee ballots.
Two county voters first reported the error.
According to a court order signed by President Judge William R. Nalitz, voters who returned an absentee ballot to the Greene County Office of Elections and Voter Registration by the state-mandated deadline of 5 p.m. Friday will receive a letter providing them the opportunity to contact the elections office and request a replacement page.
Once absentee voters receive a replacement page, they may cast their vote and return the page to the elections office no later than 4:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23.
The replacement page will then be attached to the voter’s original absentee ballot, and all votes will be added to the overall tally. Canvassing of absentee ballots will take place Tuesday, Nov. 24. Original absentee ballots will not be opened prior to this date.
In the event that a voter has already completed the backside of page 1 of the original absentee ballot, but still submits a replacement page, the replacement page will be voided, and only the original ballot will be counted Nov. 24. The extension of the canvassing of absentee ballots until Nov. 24 will delay certification of the official election results, with Nov. 25 now the anticipated date of certification.
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused to both our absentee voters and our candidates,” said Commissioner Dave Coder, chairman of the board of elections. “However, through the corrective measures we have taken, we have maintained the integrity of this municipal election, and we have protected voters’ rights.”
Voters who returned their absentee ballots by 5 p.m. Friday can request a replacement page by calling the elections office at 724-852-5230 or 724-852-5304. They may also stop by the elections office, located on the first floor of the Greene County Office Building at 93 E. High St. in Waynesburg. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, although the office will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day.
the Veterans Day holiday.