Write-In Candidate Challenging Pine Grove School Board Election Results

Schuylkill County’s Election Board is set to certify the results of the 2021 General Election on Friday morning, but there’s a late challenge to a result in the Pine Grove Area School District.

A Pine Grove woman believes she won a spot on the Pine Grove Area school board during the November General Election. However, she needs Schuylkill County election officials to cumulate several write-in votes – votes she believes were intended to be cast for her but were counted separately from her total – to do it.

Amanda Daubert only needs 4 votes to alter the result of the election, as it stands now. But she thinks she’s entitled to as many as 6 more.

Election Results Contested for Pine Grove Area School Board

Daubert finished 6th in a race for 5 at-large seats up for grabs at Pine Grove Area School District. Three candidates appeared on the ballot and won easily.

That left 2 spots available for write-in candidates. And it appears several people waged write-in campaigns for those seats. A total of 5 write-in candidates got more than 400 votes each for those seats.

According to the Schuylkill County Election Bureau Summary Results Report (above) posted to the county’s website Andrea Primeau got the most write-in votes, 588. Jennifer Modesto finished second among the write-ins with 568 votes. Daubert finished third among write-in candidates with 565 votes, 3 shy of Modesto.

Based on this, Primeau and Modesto are the winners. And right now, it appears Primeau’s victory isn’t in jeopardy.

Here’s a look at how all the top candidates fared in this election:

PINE GROVE SCHOOL DIRECTOR AT-LARGE – 2021 ELECTION RESULTS – TOP 5 WIN

• 1538: Walter Stump
• 1210: David Frew
• 1114: David Lukasewicz
• 588: Andrea Primeau (Write-in)
• 568: Jennifer Modesto (Write-in)
• 565: Amanda Daubert (Write-in)
• 433: Wade Gettle (Write-in)
• 411: Jeremy Schaeffer (Write-in)

Pine Grove Woman Believes She Won Write-In Campaign for School Board Seat

Daubert, however, believes there are enough write-in votes for what appear to be other candidates but were really meant for her. And with those votes, she can overtake Modesto in the final tally.

She – through her attorney, Shane Hobbs – filed a petition before Schuylkill County President Judge William Baldwin and Court Administration on Thursday asking they take action and credit her with 6 more votes. The petition was filed with Baldwin after the Schuylkill County Election Bureau denied Daubert’s previous written petition on Wednesday.

In the latest petition, Daubert argues the Court of Common Pleas has the authority to cumulate votes and hear appeals to decisions made by the County Election Bureau.

Here’s why Daubert believes she got 6 more votes than she’s credited with getting:

• 4 votes for “Amanda Wertz” – There were 4 votes cast for a person named “Amanda Wertz” in the Pine Grove at-large school board race. That happens to be Daubert’s maiden name. But they’re counted separately from her vote total. Those 4 votes alone would make up the difference.
• 2 votes for people not in the district – There were 2 more votes – 1 for an “Amber Daubert” and 1 for an “Angela Daubert” – that Daubert believes are meant for her, too. In her petition, Daubert claims there are no registered voters in the Pine Grove Area School District with those names.

She also argues no one else with these names living in the Pine Grove Area School District was seeking public office.

The Election Board is set to certify the vote from the 2021 Election on Friday morning.

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