The biggest task that confronts the election board of Lycoming County does not materialize on next Tuesday’s Presidential election day but comes after November 22 when county commissioners must organize as a board and count the GI ballot.

At noon today the Registration Bureau was in receipt of about 2,100 servicemen’s ballots, each of which must be counted by commissioners separately. County officials estimate that there will be about 3,000 GI ballots voted and returned to the Court House.

This means the commissioner have the job of what would ordinarily constitutes the vote cast in seven election districts of the county, average for a district being in the city, as at least 500 to 600 votes.

In making the two counts the procedure is entirely different. When the official count of the civilian vote is made the tally sheets and triplicate return sheets of the election board offices are placed in large books printed especially for that purpose.

In making count of the GI vote each ballot must be taken separately and the vote recorded for the individual candidate, then totaled and these in turn, are placed in the computation books of the official count.

The law provides for a certain procedure in opening the envelopes and ballots mailed to the Court House by servicemen and women.

The official count, according to code provisions, starts the Friday following the election which would bring it on Friday, November 10. Armistice Day, a national holiday, falls on the following day. County officials have not decided whether to start the count on Friday noon and continue through the day then adjourn until Monday or whether to organize on Friday and adjourn until Monday to start the actual count.

GI ballots must be accepted until 10 o’clock Nov. 22. Here again the commissioners run up against a holiday. If the vote count begins Wednesday, Nov. 22, the next day is Thanksgiving Day. This situation is also being considered by the commissioners.