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October 25, 2019 at 1:39 pm
Voting Information for Election Day on November 5th.
Voting Information: Tuesday, November 5th is Election Day!
Voting is one of the most precious rights we have as Americans. Over time, many people fought – and even gave their lives – for the cause of equal voting rights for all individuals. Here’s what you need to know to exercise YOUR right to vote:
Important Election Day Timeframes
- Polls are open from 6 AM thru 8 PM.
- Must be registered to vote; voter registration is available either in-person or via mail by Tuesday, October 15th.
- Applications for mail-in ballots must be received by your County Clerk at least seven days before Election Day. Available to all voters, mail-in votes do not require a reason.
- Early voting can be done in person at your County Board of Elections 45 days prior up until 3 PM the day before the election.
- Completed mail-in ballots must be dropped off at the Board of Elections before the close of polls on Election Day or postmarked no later than Election Day. Mail-in ballots CANNOT be dropped off at any polling sites.
Voting: Who and How
To be eligible to register to vote in New Jersey, one must be:
- A US citizen.
- Seventeen years old to register, but must be 18 to vote in an election.
- A resident of the county, the election is taking place in for 30 days before the election.
- A person not serving a sentence or on probation/parole due to a felony conviction.
- Not qualified as being mentally incompetent.
Register by completing a Voter Registration Application or in some cases, a Party Affiliation Form. Mail or deliver the application or form to the County Commissioner or Superintendent of Elections for your county.
Of note: Overseas citizens and US military personnel can find information on how to register to vote and request a vote by mail ballot at the Overseas Vote Foundation. College students can choose to register at their parents’ address or their college address.
Do I Need to Provide ID in order to vote in NJ?
Identification is NOT REQUIRED unless you are a first-time voter who registered by mail and did not provide I.D. verification. As of 2006, if you register to vote in person either at a Motor Vehicle location or other local/state offices, you will be asked to provide your N.J. Driver’s License or MVC-issued non-driver I.D. for proof. If you lack either of those, then the last four digits of your SSN will be required. If your ID has not been verified before Election Day, you may be required to show some form of identification.
What is a Provisional Ballot?
Provisional ballots are paper ballots that are used at the polling place instead of voting machines on Election Day when voter eligibility is at issue, and which can only be resolved by county election officials (not at the polling place.) These ballots can either be filled out at the polling place or completed elsewhere and returned to the county election office by the close of business on the second day after the election. Reasons for provisional ballots include change of address not reported, incomplete voter registration in the poll book or if the poll book indicates Mail-in Ballot.
What is Electioneering?
It is any activity or display of materials that is intended to advocate, solicit, or suggest support for a candidate, political party, or public referendum. New Jersey law stipulates that there can be no electioneering within 100 feet of the entrance to a polling place. Including buttons, banners, t-shirts, hats, etc., anyone wishing to vote must not wear or carry such items. Poll workers will ask anyone with these items to leave them outside the protected zone or take them off if worn. Exit polling is permitted 100-foot beyond the set polling zone.
Do I Need to Declare a Party Affiliation?
No affiliation is required to vote in a general election. However, an association is necessary to vote in any Primary election, which in 2020 is June 2nd. An undeclared voter can declare an affiliation at the polling place while there to vote in a primary election. A voter currently affiliated with one political party who wishes to CHANGE their membership must file a Political Party Affiliation Declaration Form 55 days before the next primary election.
What Else Do I Need to Know about My Polling Site?
The polling place is a limited public forum. The only persons allowed therein are election officials, duly-credentialed challengers, the candidates, the voters and the voters’ dependent children, and law enforcement officers, if present, to preserve the peace and the enforcement of election laws. A “challenger” is a person appointed by the candidate, political party chair, or proponent/opponent of a public referendum. A challenger is permitted by law to observe the voting process in a polling place and can challenge a voter’s right to vote, and are subject to strict guidelines while at the polling place.
Finally, New Jersey Needs You on Election Day!
The Division of Elections within N.J. Department of State is seeking N.J. citizens of all ages, including college and high school students, to assist in the Election Day process by serving as poll workers. Poll workers are reimbursed for time worked. Training is required and provided at the county level. To sign up, contact your local board of elections.
For further information, please call 1-877-NJ-VOTER (1-877-658-6837) or visit these websites:
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