Northampton County’s Home Rule Charter has established an Elections Commission, a five-member volunteer board that oversees elections, including the ballot. Members are first selected by the two parties receiving the most votes in the most recent election. Names are forwarded to the executive, who then passes them on to council for confirmation. They serve for two years. No more than three members may belong to the same party. Historically, whichever party is in power gets the three-person majority.

Election commissioners are barred from holding any other public office. But that charter provision was determined to be unconstitutional by Judge Leonard Zito when he served as council’s solicitor.

Based on the request of both major parties, Executive John Brown submitted five names for appointment (or re-appointment) by county council at the March 17 meeting.

Three Republicans: Judith Ladonis (Hanover), Mary K. Diggs (Bethlehem) and Joshua Weinstein (Forks), and two Democrats: Marques Grundy (Easton) and George Treisner (Bethlehem) were unanimously confirmed as elections commissioners.

Joan Rosenthal, a feisty Hanover Township Republican known for her dry humor, hadchaired the elections commission and has been a member since at least 2006. But she decided she’s it’s time to step down. Democrat Ken Kraft, who served with her before joining county council, thanked her for her years of service.