Investigation underway after several absentee ballots found in dumpster in Pennsylvania county

LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Luzerne County has been in the national spotlight after several absentee ballots were found in a dumpster.

Channel 11 got clarification from Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar about how this may have happened and the steps being taken to prevent it from happening again.

“What happened in Luzerne County is an example of how it should work when mistakes are made,” Boockvar said.

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Boockvar said it appears to be a mistake that led to nine absentee ballots being thrown in a dumpster in Luzerne County, about four hours east of Pittsburgh.

During a news conference, Boockvar said a temporary mailroom employee threw away the ballots.

Boockvar pointed to a lack of training and mentioned that the overseas absentee ballots sent out over the summer have a different look than state mail-in ballots.

The U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced last week seven of the nine ballots were votes for President Donald Trump.

“Within a couple of days, it was reported, it was being investigated and that temporary worker was terminated. Not only that but Luzerne County has reached out to us at the Department of State to make sure it never happens again,” Boockvar said.

An investigation into the incident continues.

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