Early voting lags in Lebanon County ahead of Tuesday deadline

Lebanon County election officials are urging residents not to wait until the last minute as Tuesday marks the final day to request a mail-in ballot and the 5 p.m. deadline for early voting at the courthouse.

Early voting numbers for the Nov. 4 election remain dramatically lower than previous cycles, according to Sean Drasher, Lebanon County elections director.

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“We are a little over 200 early voters so far,” Drasher said, noting the stark contrast to the 5,000 early voters in the 2024 presidential election. The spring primary saw fewer than 100 early voters, he said.

Overall turnout is expected to reach 20% to 25%, with Drasher expressing hope it could exceed 30%. The spring primary drew just 19.4% turnout, including both mail-in and Election Day voters.

The county’s mail-in ballot return rate has also declined to about 70%, down from typical rates in the high 80s. Republicans and Democrats are returning ballots at nearly identical rates, Drasher said.

Lebanon County has reached a record 92,992 registered voters, including 52,634 Republicans, 24,988 Democrats, 109 Green Party members, 530 Libertarians, and 14,731 others or independents.

This year’s ballot spans two full pages and extends to a third in some precincts, featuring numerous local races, county row offices, judicial contests, and five judicial retention questions. See a sample version of the ballot here (PDF).

Drasher said that election officials are fully staffed with poll workers, including 11% student workers. No polling place changes have been made for this election.

Drasher warned that many races could be decided by fewer than five votes, making provisional ballots potentially decisive. While most results should be posted by 11 p.m. on election night, official certification won’t occur until after the Nov. 21 tie-breaker meeting due to the processing of thousands of expected write-in votes, Drasher said.

Voters who miss Tuesday’s early voting deadline must cast their ballots at their polling places on Election Day, Nov. 4. You can find your polling place here.