BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania — An election-integrity lawyer told The Post that a lawsuit filed by two Pennsylvania voters who say they were disenfranchised because of their county’s poor election administration is just a glimpse of the problems that could loom in November’s presidential election.
Plaintiffs William French, a disabled Army veteran, and Melinda Reese, a caregiver for her ailing husband, Luzerne County will be sued in March 2023 alleged that they were disenfranchised as a result of the county's failure to print sufficient ballots at polling places for the 2022 midterm elections.
Despite attempting to vote multiple times, French and Reese were told by county officials to come back later but were unable to do so due to their life circumstances.
The plaintiffs filed the suit through the nonpartisan Center for Election Confidence, a nonprofit organization focused on ethics in the electoral process that works to protect the rights of eligible voters.
“There were a number of reasons why they tried to vote in person but couldn’t because they lacked paperwork,” said Jonathan Hauenschild, an attorney working with the CEC who does not represent these particular plaintiffs.
Hauenschild says the county's reluctance to make meaningful changes could lead to similar problems on a larger scale this year, as the presidential race will bring a significantly increased number of voters.
“Whatever happened in 2022 could happen in 2024, or even worse, because the county is not prepared for it,” Hauenschild told the Post.
Luzerne County officials did not attend 2023 congressional hearings The matter sparked intense deliberation among House members, during which it was concluded that there had been “abuse, negligence and incompetence” in the county's election administration.
Less spicy Luzerne County District Attorney's Office report Last year, the Elections Commission blamed the mishaps on inadequate training at the county elections bureau.
Luzerne County failed to respond to the plaintiffs’ demand for a settlement this summer — prompting them, the CEC said, to notify the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, where the lawsuit is still active.
Hauenschild said that while he can understand why the county is reluctant to admit fault, there are ways to resolve the matter without doing so outright — such as creating a more “future-focused” administration plan for election officials with better training on state law.
“We can't go back and change the past, and that's what (French and Reese) are very focused on,” Haunschild said. “They want to make sure this doesn't happen again.”
