MERCER COUNTY: Big numbers spur advice for voters

   Vote early, by absentee ballot, or expect long lines.
   That was the message from Mercer County this week, where 218,397 residents have registered to vote, an increase of 23,900 over a year ago.
   Statewide, more than 575,000 new voters have registered in 2008, with the total number of registered voters in New Jersey as of last week being 5,351,669, according to the state attorney general’s office,
   County residents are being urged to vote any time before Election Day via absentee ballots in order to lessen congestion at the polls in what is predicted to be the heaviest voter turnout for a general election in decades.
   ”We want Nov. 4 in Mercer County to go as smoothly as possible, and absentee ballots can help you avoid the crowd on what is expected to be a very busy Election Day,” County Executive Brian Hughes said in a press release.
   Under New Jersey law, registered voters do not need to be out of state to vote by absentee ballot and do not need to provide a reason for requesting one.
   In response to the record number of people seeking to vote by absentee ballot, office hours have been extended for the county clerk’s office and the Board of Elections.
   Of 11,000 absentee ballots requested by voters, about 6,000 had been returned and processed as of Wednesday and the 5,000 outstanding could arrive at county offices for processing over the next few days.
   The absentee ballots are available at the county clerk’s office at the courthouse at 209 S. Broad St. in Trenton. They can be filled out in person until 3 p.m. Nov. 3, the day before Election Day. The clerk’s office will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. today, Friday; from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; and from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.
   In order to obtain an absentee ballot, a resident must already be registered to vote.
   An absentee ballot that is filled out must then be dropped off at the Mercer County Board of Elections Office on the first floor of the county administration building at 640 S. Broad St. in Trenton before or on Election Day. Absentee ballots will be accepted at the Board of Elections up until 8 p.m. sharp Tuesday. Those who fill out an absentee ballot do not vote at the polls.
   The Board of Elections office will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. today, Friday; from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
   Polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Those voters who don’t use absentee ballots are being urged to visit their polling place during off-peak hours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
   Residents who have questions can call the county superintendent of elections at 989-6750 or the county clerk’s office at 989-6494, 989-6495, 989-6465, 989-6473, 989-6494, 989-6497 or 989-6075.