LEBANON, Pa. — The 2024 presidential election is nine months away and Pennsylvania is dealing with an experience deficit in some county election offices.
According to the Department of State, more than 70 election directors and deputies from 40 counties have left their jobs since 2020. That is equivalent to several hundred years of experience.
“If you take directors and deputies that have stepped down, we’re looking at well over 800 years lost in institutional knowledge," said Sean Drasher, the director of the Lebanon County Board of Elections.
Drasher said some counties have lost additional office staff when the election director steps down, which has made it difficult to fill open slots.
“When you lose somebody who’s been doing this for 12, 15, 20 years, someone else does not just step right into that role," said Drasher. "You might find a very capable hire, but they’re not necessarily going to know everything from day one.”
A spokesman with the Pennsylvania Department of State released the following statement about the experience gap:
"The department is working more closely than ever with county election officials and using as many resources as we have available to provide guidance and support to new county election personnel."
County officials say that support includes running several training courses throughout the week.
“They heard us, and they’ve been working on it for a while," said Drasher. "It’s nice to see from the top all the way down that they’re taking a real interest and working with us in that.”
While Lebanon isn't experiencing these issues, Drasher stressed that counties will be there to assist other counties to make sure that November’s election runs smoothly.
“There’s no shortage of resources for each other," said Drasher. "We all help each other out."