The polls had just opened for last year's midterms in Pennsylvania when the phones began ringing at the election office in Luzerne County.
Stacks of paper too thick for Luzerne County’s election equipment are seen in the county’s warehouse in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The polls had just opened for last year’s midterms in Pennsylvania when the phones began ringing at the election office in Luzerne County.
“The feeling early on in the day was panic — concern — which grew to overwhelming panic,” Cook said. “And then at some point throughout the day, there was definitely a feeling of people are starting to point fingers - before the day was over, before things were even investigated.” Election offices have been understaffed for years. But 2020 was a tipping point, with all the pandemic-related challenges before the presidential vote and the hostility afterward stemming from false claims of a stolen election.
“There are no redoes of Election Day,” Schmidt said. “Everything has to be right, and it has to be right every time.” Hired as an administrative assistant, Cook found herself serving as interim deputy director within a year despite having no previous election experience. When she started in September 2021, the director who hired her gave his notice on her first day. His replacement was on the job about eight months before he, too, left.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump beating Biden with younger voters who fled former president in 2020Eden Villalovas is a breaking news reporter. Eden graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in May 2022, where she served as the managing editor of the Bold.
Read more »
Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro pleads guilty over efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss in GeorgiaLawyer Kenneth Chesebro has pleaded guilty to a felony just as jury selection was getting underway in his trial on charges accusing him of participating in efforts to overturn Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 election in Georgia.
Read more »
Nigerians remember those killed or detained in the 2020 protests against police brutalityMany Nigerians are remembering the victims of the historic protests in 2020 against police brutality, with Amnesty International reporting that at least 15 of the protesters are still being detained and tortured
Read more »
Nigerians remember those killed or detained in the 2020 protests against police brutalityMany Nigerians are remembering the victims of the historic protests in 2020 against police brutality, with Amnesty International reporting that at least 15 of the protesters are still being detained and tortured.
Read more »
Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro pleads guilty over efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss in GeorgiaLawyer Kenneth Chesebro has pleaded guilty to a felony just as jury selection was getting underway in his trial on charges accusing him of participating in efforts to overturn Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 election in Georgia.
Read more »
Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro pleads guilty over efforts to overturn Trump's 2020 loss in GeorgiaThe two guilty pleas — along with a third for a bail bondsman last month — are major victories for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who obtained the indictment in August
Read more »