MIDDLESEX – The Middlesex County Board of Elections is encouraging residents who have recently moved, changed their name or are new residents in Middlesex County to check their personal voter information by visiting the State Division of Elections website or contacting the Middlesex County Board of Elections.
“It is important that everyone who wants to vote is able to do so with ease,” said Middlesex County Freeholder Director Ronald G. Rios. “By updating your information now, you’ll be sure to receive voter information at the right address, you can avoid the potential of having to vote by provisional ballot, and you’ll find it easier to avoid challenges to your vote on Election Day.”
“Many times, voters move and do not notify us,” said James Vokral, administrator of the Middlesex County Board of Elections. “As a result, their names may not be in the poll book at their new polling places, causing them to have to vote by paper ballots. If they normally use Vote By Mail and haven’t updated their voter records, those ballots could be sent to old addresses and returned to the county clerk as undeliverable. Also, if you have changed your name and haven’t updated your record, you may have difficulty voting or your vote may be challenged.”
To check or update your information go to http://nj.gov/state/elections/index.html. Once on the Elections website, click on the icon “AM I REGISTERED” in the center of the page and follow the prompts to verify your information. If you cannot find your record or if it is incorrect, you will need to complete a new registration form and send it in to have your record updated. The registration application is available on the same website.
To vote in the June 7 Primary Election, the deadline to update records or to register for the first time is Tuesday, May 17. Registration forms are available online at http://nj.gov/state/elections/voting-information.html and from the Middlesex County Board of Elections at 11 Kennedy Blvd., East Brunswick 08816, or from your local Municipal Clerk’s office. All forms are postage paid.
Only voters who have declared a Party (Democrat or Republican) or those who have declared themselves as “Unaffiliated” can vote in the primary. If you are Unaffiliated, you will need to declare at the polls as either a Democrat or Republican then vote for those candidates. You can change back to Unaffiliated after the Primary if you choose.
The Board of Elections’ normal operating hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.. Tuesdays. The Board will be open until 9 p.m. on May 17, which is registration deadline for the June 7 election to accommodate registrants.
You can also help the Board of Elections maintain its records by returning any Sample Ballots or other official election-related mail received at your home for people who no longer live there such as former residents, former owners, children who moved or someone who is deceased.
Make a note on the outside of the envelope, sign it and mark it “Return to Sender,” then give it to the postal carrier or drop it in the mail (return postage is already paid). Appropriate changes will be made upon receipt.
For more information, contact the Board of Elections at 732-745-3471 or e-mail elections@co.middlesex.nj.us.
