Local League offers voter information

Things you need to know to get ready for Nov. 4

   The Oct. 15 Candidates’ Night Forum for those running for seats on Hopewell Valley’s three municipal governing bodies can be viewed on cable TV. The 90-minute forum is being televised on Channel 19 throughout the Valley for Comcast viewers, and on Channel 32 for Verizon customers.
   Rebroadcasts will continue through Nov. 3, on the following schedule: Mondays and Fridays at 9 a.m.; Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays at 4 p.m.
   The Hopewell Valley League of Women Voters reminds voters of their rights next Tuesday on election day.
   As a voter you have the right: to vote without anyone trying to influence your decision; to bring your children into the voting booth with you; to bring someone of your choice into the voting booth to assist you with voting, if you cannot read or write English or have a physical disability (You can also request special assistance from a poll worker); to vote by an emergency paper ballot if the machines are malfunctioning; to be given a provisional ballot if you are not allowed to vote on a machine or by emergency ballot, with written instructions about your provisional ballot and how to find out if it was counted (Your eligibility to vote must be verified by Mercer County before your provisional ballot is counted); to vote under your original name, if you have changed your name since registering to vote; and to ask for assistance from a poll worker.
   NJ law prohibits you from wearing campaign clothing such as hats, T-shirts, campaign pins or buttons to the polls on election day. Voters who wear these to the polls will be told to remove them or turn their closing inside out before they are allowed to enter the polling place.
   Voters can find background information on the two state public questions, as well as how U.S. Senate and House candidates stand on 10 critical issues, by logging on to the League of Women Voters of NJ web site: www.lwvnj.org.
   The first public question asks voters to approve state authority bonds payable from state appropriations. The second question asks whether the method of selection and appointment of certain municipal court judges should be set by state statute, rather than by the state Constitution.
   The state league Web site provides the text of the ballot questions and the interpretive statements that voters will actually see on the ballot.
   The League sent questionnaires on 10 issues to all Senate and House candidates. Answers from the candidates on the Web site address energy, education, health care, immigration, the economy, foreign policy, social security, civil liberties, campaign finance reform, and voter ID requirements.
   Candidates for U.S. Senate are listed together on the Web site. Candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives are listed by district. Hopewell Valley is part of the 12th Congressional District.
       The Hopewell Valley League saw a surge in voter registrations this year throughout the Valley — mirroring activity across the state.
   The local League held nine voter registration drives at local supermarkets, libraries, schools, and community events to make registration easy for area residents. Twelve members and four community volunteers registered 112 new voters and distributed some 50 absentee ballot applications over the course of three weeks.
   Additionally, many League members took voter registration forms to school, work, church and to share with neighbors and friends. Those accounted for well over 100 additional voter registrations.
   More than 5.1 million voters were registered statewide by the end of September, up by 6 percent over the November 2007 election, according to the Division of Elections.
   Mercer County had 209,679 voters registered on Oct. 1, about 1,500 more than in the 2004 presidential election.
   Those registered included 80,155 Democrats, 31,896 Republicans and 97,514 unaffiliated, according to state figures.
   The general election is Nov. 4. Polls will be open from 6 a.m.-8 p.m.
   For more information, voters can call: Mercer County Clerk, 989-6998; Superintendent of Elections, 989-6750; Board of Elections, 989-6522.
   Additional voter information is available from the League of Women Voters, 1-800-792-VOTE, or at: www.njelections.org.