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Final count reaffirms election outcomes

Two-thirds of the registered voters in Lackawanna County cast ballots in the Nov. 6 general election.

The final numbers released Friday by the county Department of Elections showed 98,775 of the 149,471 people who were eligible to vote went to the polls or voted by absentee ballot, a turnout rate of 66.1 percent.

Marion Medalis, director of elections, said the total included 245 voters who cast provisional ballots, which are used when there is a question at the polling place about a voter's eligibility.

Of those, 154 were counted in full, she said. The other 91 were counted only in part because the voter, while properly registered, was in the incorrect congressional or legislative district.

Another 338 provisional ballots were rejected because the individuals were not registered or were registered in another Pennsylvania county, Mrs. Medalis said.

The total number of provisionals - 583 - was large but not exceptional for a presidential election, she said.

"If you look at the primary, we had 22 (provisional ballots cast), so there is no comparison, obviously," Mrs. Medalis said. "But is it unusual for us to have a high number like that in a presidential? The answer is no."

At 66.1 percent, the turnout lagged behind participation in the presidential election four years ago, when 69.4 percent of the county's voters cast ballots.

President Barack Obama carried the county over Republican Mitt Romney with 62.9 percent of the vote. The Democrat received a nearly identical 62.2 percent of the vote in his race against Republican John McCain in 2008.

Democratic Attorney General-elect Kathleen Kane, a resident of Waverly, was the top individual vote-getter in the county. She received 69,364 votes, or 72.1 percent, in carrying the county by an almost 3-1 margin over Republican David Freed.

Mrs. Medalis said the county election board will meet Nov. 28 to certify to results.

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com


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