Harrisburg, Pennsylvania — Swatara Township Commissioner Tom Connolly fired off some hot criticism about the Dauphin County Board of Elections preparedness – or lack thereof – in a Facebook post, dated October 22nd.
Connolly’s post reads: “Voters attempting to register on the last day prior to the election, encountered crowds at two windows, only 9 available parking spots, 2 designated for handicap parking and flat top trash can surface for a desk.” (Monday, Oct. 21 was the last day to register to vote in Pa.)
“Can Dauphin County handle the number of voters dropping off mail-in ballots at this location? Why is parking so limited? Could we please get a table and some chairs outside?” Connolly asks. “The Presidential election year is the busiest of all election cycles.”
At the Sept. 11 Dauphin County Commissioners meeting: Commissioner Justin Douglas announced that: “Dauphin County has (as of that meeting) more registered voters than at any other time in Dauphin County’s history.” (see video clip)
That meeting was the last time, according to public sources, that the new Director of Elections Chris Spackman has been publicly heard from; he’s given no reports since that meeting. In an email, Spackman indicated that the next Elections meeting will be held after the election, on November 13th.
An Oct. 10th The Burg news article reported that: “Dauphin County currently has 201,069 registered voters, according to county Bureau of Registration and Elections Director Chris Spackman. The number of voters has increased since the 2020 election, at which time about 197,000 residents were registered to vote.
“Currently, there are 87,825 registered Democrats, 77,572 registered Republicans and 35,672 other affiliations.”
An email exchange with Spackman has revealed that: by Oct. 1, 2024, 30, 143 mail-in ballot applications were issued (and returned); and by that point, 27,698 ballots were sent and 1,849 completed ballots returned to the county. See image. The votes recorded, at that time, according to the SURE printout provided by Spackman, showed 1,827, as of Oct. 1.
Follow-up emails and calls to Spackman have not been returned.
There was no mention of any issues at the Dauphin County Commissioner’s Workshop Meeting Wednesday at 10 o’clock.
Connolly described his experience at the county elections office via email:
I went down to the Elections Office to get some voter information. As I approached the parking area from the West, I see the lot was full and cars were double parked, parked in unauthorized areas, and people are passing me after not finding parking spots.
I passed the Elections Office and turned around. This time, after waiting a few minutes, I approached from the east side of the Sycamore Street entrance. Now, the lot was gridlocked with 4 additional vehicles in the only lane of travel. I stopped prior to the parking lot and waited until I could get past the Elections parking lot safety. The few available spots along Spring Creeks property were full and the Dauphin County Coroner’s parking area was signed to prohibit parking.
I eventually parked at the Bistline House overflow lot, risking being towed as the signs indicated. After walking to the office and passing a dozen people on foot, I went in. The small customer service area was crowded and I could barely move. I was the 13th or 14th person in that small lobby. Outside 3 men were using the top of a trash can to fill out Elections related paperwork. Additional people were now at the door attempting to enter. Since the service window was backed up, I decided to leave. Outside I spoke with people that agreed it was crowded and there didn’t seem to be a good plan to deal with the volume on such a busy day. The fact that it was the last day to register to vote was a common theme.
I took photo’s of all the issues I noticed, so nothing I stated was exaggerated or inaccurate. My plan was to raise concerns with the Dauphin County Commissioners and hope for improvements. Since I had the pictures and the Commissioners meeting wasn’t until Wednesday, I posted about it on Tuesday.
This is the highest turnout, in a Presidential year, maybe the County should plan accordingly. A small office with limited parking and little preparation may work during municipal elections…not with this volume of voters.
Harrisburg100 