(SCRANTON, PA) – The Center for Election Confidence (CEC) is pleased to announce a consent decree involving the County of Lackawanna, the County Board of Elections, and the County Department of Elections and Voter Registration and its Director, Elizabeth Hopkins, to prevent the recurrence of ballot issues seen in the 2025 primary election, when voters were disenfranchised by the county’s mailing of incorrect absentee and mail-in ballots.
“We learned that Lackawanna County did not have a comprehensive election manual outlining processes and procedures, as well as vital quality control measures. As a result of this lawsuit, Lackawanna County agreed to create one forthwith,” said Linda A. Kerns, election law attorney representing the plaintiff, Eugene Kopecki (CEC supported Mr. Kopecki’s suit).
Kopecki v. County of Lackawanna was filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in late 2025. The incorrect ballots mailed to “545 Republican voters who resided in the City of Scranton” “were apparently printed using candidates’ names and races from the 2024 Republican Party Primary,” according to the initial complaint.
Lackawanna County did not learn of the error until voters began calling the Board of Elections on April 26, 2025, less than one month before the May 20 primary.
“Without an in-depth, exhaustive written manual, quality control procedures rely on routine institutional knowledge which can result in preventable errors when there is a change in personnel or unexpected disruption to the election processes, as occurred here” continued Kerns.
“Lackawanna County officials recognized the seriousness of this error and have already made substantial progress towards drafting the written manual setting forth a comprehensive set of election related policies and procedures”, concluded Kerns. “Because we learned during this litigation that many, if not most, Pennsylvania counties have not implemented these types of election manuals, we hope that Lackawanna County’s finalized version will be the lodestar for the Commonwealth, leading to more uniform election administration.”
CEC is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the role of ethics, integrity, and legal professionalism in the electoral process so that all Americans, regardless of party affiliation, can take part in the electoral process and have confidence in election systems and their results.