Petitions have been filed in both Carbon and Schuylkill counties by a group of registered voters in the Hazleton Area School District asking for a new election for the office of school director for the school district. The petition was also filed in Luzerne County.

The petitions ask that the recent Municipal Primary Election held May 21 in the three counties be set aside because of alleged errors made by the Luzerne County Election Board. Candidates from all three counties filed petitions in the Luzerne County Election Bureau.In Schuylkill County the borough of McAdoo and the townships of Kline, North and East Union vote for candidates in the Hazleton district. In Carbon the districts involved are Banks Township and the borough of Beaver Meadows.Reasons given for the request of a new election is failure of the Luzerne County Election Board to notify both Schuylkill and Carbon counties to remove a name from the ballot.The petition claims prior to the Primary Election, incumbent School Director Steve Hahn withdrew his candidacy by properly notifying the Luzerne board but they failed to inform the other two counties who had Hahn's name on the ballot. His name was removed from the Luzerne County ballots.The petition claims Hahn received more than 500 votes in the two counties even though he was no longer eligible to serve because of his withdrawal. The petition claims the election was tainted, illegal and a clear and obvious impediment to the will of the qualified electors being shown through the election process.The petitioners also accuse the Luzerne board of improperly certifying the results of the Luzerne Primary Election as they relate to the results of the votes cast for the school board on both the Republican and Democratic ballots.Schuylkill and Carbon also has certified the votes cast in their respective counties.They ask that a new election be held for the school board in the three counties.Luzerne County officials have admitted the error and have offered a plan to fix the problem.Luzerne has offered to print and mail absentee ballots to voters from the May 21 election in the districts affected in both Carbon and Schuylkill. The plan also proposes that the Luzerne results stand.A court must approve the proposal. It is not clear which court among the three counties will decide the issue. A court hearing on the matter has been scheduled for June 20 in Luzerne County court. Carbon and Schuylkill courts have yet to set any date for hearing the matter.The petitions were signed by Carmella Yenkevich, Lourdes Salvator, Lawrence Piehota, Christina Yenkevich, Marion Petrilla, James Petrilla, Sue S. Childs, Robert W. Childs, Kathleen M. Childs, Joseph Gaydos, Eleanor Labraico, Linda Labraico, Linda M. Morgan, Edgar L. Morgan, Elizabeth Minnick, Mary F. Yanac, Donald Yanac, Mary Catherine Bachman, Philomena Scalise, Betty R. Hodgson, John Hodgson, Delores Cassarella, Jamie Koskulitz, Elaine Schmidt, and Anne Marie Shelby.Canella Yenkevich is an incumbent director who lost both nominations by close margins.