Burlington County adds additional dropboxes for vote-by-mail ballots

Burlington County added 15 ballot drop boxes for voters to securely submit completed vote-by-mail ballots prior to the Nov. 2 General Election.

There are now a total of 28 drop boxes throughout Burlington County. A list of locations is available at www.nj.gov/state/elections/vote-secure-drop-boxes.shtml and www.co.burlington.nj.us/297/Election-Board .

All 28 drop boxes are accessible 24 hours a day and all of them are subject to video surveillance and other security measures.

“Voting by mail is safe, secure and a convenient way to exercise what is a fundamental right,” Burlington County Board of Elections Chair Joseph Dugan said in a prepared statement. “The additional drop boxes will make it even easier for those who choose to vote this way to submit their ballots.”

In addition to the drop boxes, voters are permitted to mail their sealed ballots to the Board of Elections or hand-deliver them to the Board of Elections Office at 50 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly.

Delivered ballots must be personally returned by the voter or delivered by an authorized “ballot bearer” who agrees to hand deliver it to the Election Board.

Ballot bearers may deliver no more than three ballots and must provide identification to the Election Board and sign the bearer book recording that they transported the ballots to the office and delivered them.

Completed vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked or placed in secure drop boxes or submitted to the Election Board office on or before 8 p.m. on Election Day,  Nov. 2.

Unlike last year during the 2020 General Election, completed vote-by-mail ballots will not be accepted at regular polling sites for the November election, according to the statement.

Nearly 40,000 vote-by-mail ballots have been printed and sent to Burlington County voters on the county’s All Future Elections Vote-by-Mail list, but all registered voters can request a vote-by-mail ballot in person at the Burlington County Clerk’s Office up until 3 p.m. Nov 1, according to the statement.

Voters can also request a vote-by-mail ballot from the Burlington County Clerk’s Office by mail until Oct. 26. The application is available on the clerk’s website or at www.co.burlington.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/8509/Vote-by-Mail-ApplicationPDF?bidId=

Besides vote-by-mail, registered voters also have the option of voting in-person with a machine at their normal polling location on Election Day or at one of Burlington County’s seven early-voting locations during the new nine-day early voting window.

A list of early voting locations is available at www.co.burlington.nj.us/593/Election-Voter-Services

Early voting will be offered from Oct. 23-31. Early voting polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and Saturday; and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Appointments are not required, and accommodations will be made for voters with disabilities.

Voters who have already received a vote-by-mail ballot or requested one this year will not be permitted to vote with a machine during the early voting period or on Election Day and must complete and submit their vote-by-mail ballot or vote in-person with a provisional ballot.

Voters can check their registration and status online at Vote.NJ.Gov under the “Am I Registered?” tab.

For any election-related questions or issues, call the Burlington County Elections hotline at 609-265-VOTE (8683).

“Voting is secure, easy and more accessible and convenient than ever,” Burlington County Commissioner Linda Hynes, who is the county commissioners’ liaison to Elections, said in the statement. “You can vote early or on Election Day or by mail, dropbox or hand delivery. It doesn’t matter how you cast your ballot, the most important thing is that you do, and we hope all voters will take the time to exercise that right.”

The locations of all 28 Burlington County drop boxes are: