Luzerne County’s total voter registration dropped by 6,700 since the Nov. 5 general election, the latest statistics show.
The reason: purging of inactive voters.
As required by law, approximately 7,902 voters were removed from the registration rolls after the election, county Election Director Emily Cook said Monday.
However, losses from the purge were partially offset by the addition of new voters through the election bureau’s processing of voter registration applications received by the bureau after Oct. 21, which was the deadline for voters to register for the Nov. 5 general election, Cook said.
The voters that were purged had received initial notices of inactivity and then subsequently failed to vote in both the 2022 and 2024 federal elections, Cook said.
Voters periodically question whether the election bureau is actively purging to keep the voter rolls clean, and Cook has publicly said the county is in full compliance with all maintenance requirements.
Both Democrats and Republicans — and unaffiliated voters — were included in the purge, although a specific breakdown was not available.
On Nov. 5, the county had 209,718 registered voters.
The current total is 203,027, according to the latest Pennsylvania Department of State registration update posted Monday.
This update said the county currently has 89,892 Republicans, 84,836 Democrats and 28,299 voters of other or no affiliation.
2025 primary
Preparations are underway for the May 20 primary election, when hundreds of candidates will appear on the ballot seeking nominations for county, municipal and school board seats.
Cook said municipalities and school districts are required to submit an official form by Feb. 18 stating all offices that must appear on the ballot along with the term lengths. This includes partial-term vacancies that must be filled in this year’s election due to the death or resignation of an elected office holder.
The county has no way of knowing which seats are open and needs this information to ensure the correct seats are placed on the ballot, she said.
Municipalities and school districts are required to furnish this information in writing by law, she said, noting the communication was issued last month.
Candidates can start picking up packets for the primary election on Jan. 27 at the election bureau on the second floor of the county’s Penn Place Building at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Market Street in Wilkes-Barre.
Cook said many counties are waiting until the first week of February to release these packets, but she is making them available sooner due to candidate inquiries that started the beginning of December.
She emphasized candidates cannot start seeking signatures on their nomination petitions until Feb. 18.
“I am including an exceptionally thorough explanation with the packet explaining how to fill it out and all the requirements and deadlines,” Cook said.
Candidates must file their paperwork by March 11 to appear on the ballot.
Mail ballots
Countywide, more than 50,000 county voters had checked a box to be placed on a permanent mailing list when they initially applied for a mail ballot.
As required by state legislation, the county must send mail ballot applications to these voters by Feb. 7 each year. Voters who return applications will automatically receive mail ballots for all elections this year.
Cook said the bureau will be working with its outside vendor to mail the applications before the deadline.