FREEHOLD – County officials recently provided an update on the November 3 general election.
Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon advised voters that major changes have been made to the November 3 General Election process, due to a new State law signed by Governor Phil Murphy.
For the first time in the state’s history, the General Election will be conducted primarily by mail-in ballots. All registered and active voters will automatically receive mail-in ballots for voting in the 2020 General Election without the need to submit a vote by mail application, per the State mandate.
Per state law the mail-in ballots will be sent to voters on or before October 5 and only a limited number of polling places will be available for voters on Election Day, where only paper provisional ballots will be available for voting.
Voters with disabilities who need an accessible mail-in ballot, should contact the County Clerk’s Election Office at 732-431-7790, or they can go to their assigned 2020 polling place on Election Day, where they will be provided with access to an ADA accessible voting device.
Clerk Hanlon said, “due to the State mandate, this year’s November 3 election is unprecedented. It is the first time in New Jersey history that a General Election is being conducted primarily by mail-in ballots.”
She encouraged voters to visit MonmouthCountyVotes.com and to download the free Monmouth County Votes Mobile App, so they can receive the latest information about the process and procedures.
Monmouth County Board of Elections Commissioner Patricia A. Bennett highlighted the ways voters can return their mail-in ballot to the County Board of Elections for counting.
Per the State mandate, voters can return their completed General Election mail-in ballots via mail, drop box, in-person to the Board of Elections Office at 300 Halls Mill Road in Freehold, or in-person at their assigned 2020 General Election polling place.
Hanlon said, “it is important to remember that every mail-in ballot will be counted, pursuant to State law, before the provisional ballots from Election Day are reviewed, verified and counted.”
“If you feel strongly about going to the polls on Election Day, Nov. 3, I encourage you to bring your completed mail-in ballot and simply drop it off. Since everyone wants timely results from this election I encourage all voters to return their mail in ballots for counting as soon as they received them,” Hanlon said.
