Poll workers are not prosecuted

staff report

MERCER, Pa. — Mercer County commissioners learned Wednesday that there will be no prosecution of poll workers who allowed two voters to cast ballots in the April primary election, despite not being registered as a Democrat or Republican.

District Attorney Robert Kochems stated in a letter to Election Director Jeff Greenburg that he does not believe that the incidents could be prosecuted as “knowing violations of the statute.” He added he does not believe the prosecution of the election officials involved would serve the interest of justice.

The incidents involved two poll workers in different precincts. State law prohibits voting on party primary ballots by independent voters and provides a $15,000 fine and seven years in prison for a poll worker who intentionally allows the ballots to be cast illegally.

Greenburg had said when he reported the violation earlier this month that he believed the poll workers allowed the voting in error, not as a deliberate act by either one.

He said no election results were affected by the two voters.

Also at Wednesday’s meeting, Bill Boyle, director of administrative services, reported that the county’s liability insurance premium has dropped by $26,000 from last year’s because the county had only $35,000 in general liability claims, which is considered low. The premium dropped from $315,000 to $289,361. The county buys its liability insurance from PCoRP, Pennsylvania Counties Risk Pool, which is administered by the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.