The midterms have arrived. Early voting in New Jersey starts October 24 at 10am. That is just one of the three ways voters can cast ballots. They can also vote at their polling place on Election Day, or vote by mail-in ballot.
Acting Secretary of State Shirley Emehelu said if you are voting by mail, the dropbox is the way to go.
“You can return your ballot to a dropbox all the way up until 8pm on election night,” she said. “If there’s a line at your secure ballot dropbox on Election Day on November 3 stay in that line, you will get to drop off your ballot.”
The drop boxes, Emehelu said, are safe and secure and eliminate any possibility of postal delays in the delivery of ballots.
Voters can apply for a mail-in ballot by following the instructions found at VOTE.NJ.GOV or contacting their County Clerk. Mail-in ballots cannot be returned to early voting sites or Election Day polling places.
Emehelu also said voters can be confident that those running the election have any legal backup they may need.
“We are working closely with our team at the attorney general’s office, the Division of Law has a team of dedicated attorneys, they are available to provide around the clock legal advice to county elections officials during early voting and on election day,” she said.
She added that the attorney general’s Division of Criminal Justice monitors for claims of improper electioneering, election fraud, or other criminal violations and pursues such cases with local law enforcement.
The deadline to register for this election has passed, it was October 13, but voters can check their registration status at vote.nj.gov. Emehelu said if you are eligible to vote your vote will be counted.
“If a voter goes to their polling location, whether during early voting or on general election day, if they are informed that there is an issue with their voter registration they could still have the ability to cast a provisional ballot,” she said.
Following the election county election officials will review voter status and determine if a voter is eligible, and if eligible their provisional vote will be counted.