Carbon County officials want to remind residents that the election office will never solicit voter registrations.

Commissioner William O'Gurek on Thursday said that the county and Bureau of Elections have received reports of mass mailers being sent to homes of those who are deceased or no longer live there.The Voter Participation Group and The League of Conservation Voters Education Fund are responsible for the mailers, O'Gurek said.He said the county received a report from one family whose son had passed away."I just wish these groups, before they go mass mailing to people, would have some consideration on whether they are getting to the right people," he said. "Can you imagine what happens when a family opens mail for (a deceased loved one) and it is over registering to vote?"They question what the county is doing, she said."I want to say that our election office is not soliciting registration from anyone," O'Gurek said.In a related matter, O'Gurek also spoke about the absentee ballots, which residents can apply for if they will not be in the county during the primary election on April 26.The deadline for applying for the absentee ballot is April 19.Residents have been wondering when the absentee ballots will be sent to them.O'Gurek said the reason for any delays with regard to the distribution of absentee ballots is a direct result of resolutions passed in the Legislature that are requesting a referendum be taken off the primary election ballot and held until the November general election.The referendum asks residents if they think a judge's mandatory retirement age should be increased from 70 to 75."I don't think they recognize the hardship that this is putting on counties needing to prepare for the election," O'Gurek said."We have not mailed out any absentee ballots because we have to hold off as long as we can before we send them to the printer. ... I wish they (legislators) would have thought about this last year before they sent a motion to put the referendum on the ballot."