Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon is advising Monmouth County voters that Gov. Phil Murphy has announced major changes to the Nov. 3 general election process due to the COVID-19 public health situation.
Similarly to the July 7 primary election, the Nov. 3 general election will be conducted
primarily by mail-in ballots with limited polling locations open for voting on paper
provisional ballots only, according to a press release from Hanlon.
According to Executive Order No. 177, all registered and active voters will automatically receive a mail-in ballot for voting in the 2020 general election without the need to submit a vote by mail application.
The Executive Order states that ballots must be mailed to voters on or before Oct. 5.
The county clerk’s office will provide a postage-paid envelope for the return of the
completed mail-in ballot; therefore, voters are not required to attach a stamp when
returning the ballot via the United States Postal Service, according to the press release.
According to the Executive Order, voters can return their completed general election
mail-in ballot to the county Board of Elections via mail, drop box, in person to the
Board of Elections Office, or in person at their assigned 2020 general election
polling place. More information about deadlines and the placement of drop boxes will be
forthcoming, according to the press release.
A limited number of polling places will be available for voters on Nov. 3, where only paper provisional ballots will be available for voting.
Voters with disabilities or who need an accessible ballot should contact the county clerk’s office at 732-431-7790, or may go to their assigned 2020 general election polling place, which will provide access to an in-person accessible voting device on Nov. 3, according to the press release.
A sample ballot will not be mailed to voters for the Nov. 3 election, but a notice indicating voters’ polling locations will be.
The county clerk’s office will make the sample ballots available online for viewing at MonmouthCountyVotes.com and on the Monmouth County Votes mobile app once
the ballots are ready. A sample ballot will be available at each polling place on
Election Day, according to the press release.
“I encourage voters to check our elections website at MonmouthCountyVotes.com in
the coming weeks and to follow the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office on social
media for information regarding the general election,” Hanlon said.
“We will continue to provide updates as we receive more guidance from the state Division of Elections about the election process,” she said.
Voters with questions should contact the county clerk’s election office during
normal business hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., by phone to 732-
431-7790 or send an email to [email protected]