Only 10 absentee ballots were requested from the five Schuylkill County precincts located in the north eastern part of the county to cast votes for nominating candidates for the Hazleton Area School District in a special election to be held on Tuesday, July 23.

County Election Director Frannie Brennan reported four requests for absentee ballots were received from registered voters of McAdoo, First Precinct; five from McAdoo, Second Precinct; four from Kline Township, and one from North Union Township. No requests came from East Union Township;The absentee ballots must be in the office of the county election bureau in Pottsville by Friday, July 19, at 5 p.m.Only the voters who cast ballots for the school director candidates in last May 21 Primary Election are eligible to vote in the special election. All polling places in the five precincts will be open next Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p. m. for voters to cast their ballots.After the polls close the results will be brought to the county election bureau in Pottsville for an unofficial count and not to the election center in the Saint Clair Industrial Park where they are brought after every election.A a computing board will meet Friday, July 26, to make the official count and then the votes will be added to those cast in Carbon County, who also is holding a special election on July 23. The vote totals from the two counties will be added to Luzerne County totals.The votes cast in Schuylkill and Carbon counties in the May 21st election were voided by the order of Luzerne County Court because of an error made by the Luzerne County Election Board.The board failed to notify the two counties before the election that one of the school director candidates had withdrawn from the race. His name remained on the ballots in Schuylkill and Carbon.Steve Hahn, the candidate who withdrew, received 226 votes on the Republican ballot and 167 votes on the Democratic ballot. School director candidates can cross file.The names of seven candidates will be on the ballot, all cross filed. They are, Jared M. O'Donnell, Bob Mehalick, Carmella Yenkevich, James G. Chapman, Clarence John, Fred Frederick Mariano, and Thomas J. Chirico.Only 1,384 voters in Schuylkill County are eligible to cast their ballot in the special election as follows: East Union Township, 335; North Union Township,167; Kline Township, 367; McAdoo, First Precinct, 230, and Second Precinct, 285.Luzerne County will pay Carbon and Schuylkill counties the cost of the election as ordered by the Luzerne County Court.