More than 200 of the provisional ballots contested but cast in the Nov. 3 election in Schuylkill County were counted Tuesday at a hearing in the election office.

Election Director Albert Gricoski said the 9 a.m. hearing lasted to 1 or 1:30 p.m. Representatives from the Democratic and Republican parties attended along with the county election board, which consists of the county commissioners.

There were 975 provisional ballots received by the Schuylkill County Elections Office. Of those, 755 were previously counted, leaving 220 remaining.

Gricoski didn’t recall the exact number of provisional ballots counted. He said the remaining ones were not, adding they didn’t have the proper signatures.

“It automatically does not get counted,” he said.

Hugh Reiley, Schuylkill County Democratic Committee Chairman, who did not attend the hearing, said attorney Edward Brennan, who was chosen as a Democratic Voter Protection Team lawyer, participated.

Howard Merrick, chairman of the Schuylkill County Republican Committee, did not return a call for comment.

Reiley said Brennan told him “a very small” number of ballots were not counted for either a lack of a signature or a naked ballot. Such a ballot is when it is not in the secrecy envelope.

Reiley was not upset the hearing took place.

“It’s very important the election board does their due diligence to make sure every vote is counted and every vote is legally cast. It’s important. Let’s get this right,” Reiley said.

The deadline to certify votes is Nov. 23.