The unusually crowded ballot for May 21st's municipal primary election in Lackawanna County could test the endurance of voters and translate into a long evening for poll workers.
Five referendum questions and 38 candidates for a proposed county government study commission appear on the two-sided ballot along with the normal complement of state, county, municipal and school board races.
In some precincts, voters will encounter as many as 80 candidates seeking a dozen or more offices, in addition to the questions. For perspective, only 20 or 21 names appeared on most ballots in the November general election.
Marion Medalis, director of elections, said voters should probably count on spending more time at their polling place on Tuesday.
"I think it will take people a little bit longer to go through the ballot," she said. "It will take them a little longer to vote."
All registered voters - not just Democrats and Republicans - are eligible to vote on the nonpartisan referendum questions and for members of government study commission.
The Department of Elections has sent letters to judges of election explaining that people who are not registered to the two major parties may cast a nonpartisan ballot on the questions and the commission, and another reminder will be issued when they pick up their polling materials, Mrs. Medalis said.
"Obviously, the poll workers are going to have to pay attention to how a voter is registered," she said.
Municipal primary elections in the county have a history of producing large numbers of write-in votes, in part because of the presence of races in which no candidates are listed on the ballot.
For example, no candidates appear Tuesday for more than 70 percent of the 652 judge of election and inspector of election ballot slots across the county.
State law requires poll workers in each precinct to review and record all write-in votes cast, which could delay the delivery of results to the Department of Elections on Tuesday night, Mrs. Medalis said.
"Does it slow it up? Of course it does," she said.
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.comAbsentee deadline
Today is the last day voters may apply for an absentee ballot for the primary. The elections office at 2400 Stafford Ave., Scranton, will be open until 5 p.m. to accept applications. Completed absentee ballots must be returned by Friday at 5 p.m.