Voter Information Centers (VIC) in Highland Park, Monroe and Sayreville will open to the public on Oct. 19 and remain open through Election Day, Nov. 3.
The VICs will provide voting services including replacement ballots, signature verification and instructions on how to participate in the 2020 General Election.
The centers are located at Highland Park Borough Hall, 221 S. Fifth Ave., Highland Park; the Monroe Township Library, 4 Municipal Plaza, Monroe Township; and Sayreville Borough Hall, 167 Main St., Sayreville.
All three locations will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday until Nov. 2, and then from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.
Members of the public will be subject to a temperature screening upon entrance to the VIC and will be required to wear a face covering at all times.
Representatives from the Board of Elections will also be available to contact virtually at each VIC to answer questions residents may have regarding registration updates and how to ensure their ballot is properly cast.
“Once again, Middlesex County is going above and beyond for its residents. Not only did Middlesex County commit to providing Vote By Mail ballots to residents with postage included and far surpassed the number of ballot dropbox locations required by the state – 32 locations compared to the state’s mandated 10 – but the county is now offering unique VICs throughout the county to assist our residents in casting their ballot,” Middlesex County Freeholder Director Ronald G. Rios said in a statement provided by the Middlesex County Office of Communication. “The opening of these VICs will be a tremendous asset to our residents.”
VICs will be staffed by county clerk election officials who can immediately access voter registration data and determine if the voter has been issued a Vote by Mail ballot, and whether or not a ballot has been received by the election officials, according to the statement. If the voter has not been issued a Vote by Mail ballot, they can apply at the center. Voters will also be able to apply for and receive a replacement ballot – these duplicate ballots are issued in the event a ballot has been lost, damaged, or the voter does not receive it.
VICs are not polling locations and ballots cannot be cast inside a VIC. Each VIC is located within the immediate vicinity of a Middlesex County drop box at which a voter may drop off a completed Vote By Mail ballot.
The county will operate 97 polling locations on Election Day throughout the county at which residents may complete a paper provisional ballot. Provisional ballots will not be available at the VICs.
In addition, the county clerk’s office has opened to the public, and with extended hours.
The County Clerk – Division of Elections Office located in the County Administration Building in New Brunswick will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday beginning Oct. 19 for residents looking for information and assistance on how to participate in the 2020 General Election, offering signature verification and providing duplicate ballots.
“While the COVID-19 pandemic has required us to restrict public access to the county clerk’s office for the sake of the health and safety of our staff, we welcome the opportunity to bring the public back into our office, practicing all necessary safety measures, to assist them in exercising their right to vote,” Middlesex County Clerk Elaine Flynn said in the statement. “This election cycle may be unique in the way our residents vote, but what is not unique is our commitment to ensuring they have all the necessary information and tools to do so.”
Most voters have several ways to vote in the 2020 election, all via paper ballots, which include:
- Voters may mail the ballots via the United States Postal Service at any time before Nov. 3. Ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3. Postage is included at no cost to residents.
- Voters may place the ballot in one of the secure drop boxes located throughout the county until 8 p.m. Nov. 3.
Locations include:
Jamesburg Municipal Complex – 131 Perrineville Road
Piscataway Municipal Complex – 455 Hoes Lane
Sayreville Borough Hall – 167 Main St.
Milltown Municipal Complex – 39 Washington Ave.
North Brunswick Municipal Complex – 710 Hermann Road
Metuchen Municipal Complex – 500 Main St.
Plainsboro Municipal Complex – 641 Plainsboro Road
Woodbridge Municipal Building – 1 Main St.
Edison Municipal Complex – 100 Municipal Blvd.
East Brunswick Municipal Complex – 1 Civic Dr.
Middlesex County Administration Bldg. – 75 Bayard St., New Brunswick
Perth Amboy Public Safety Complex – 361 New Brunswick Ave.
- Voters may drop the ballot off at the Middlesex County Board of Elections, 11 Kennedy Blvd., East Brunswick, through 8 p.m. Nov. 3. If someone other than the voter is delivering a ballot to the Board of Elections, the bearer (deliverer) must fill out and sign the Bearer Section on the left front side of the green return envelope and review the guidelines on the back of the green envelope.
- Voters may vote in person on Nov. 3 via a provisional, paper ballot only. A limited number of machines will be available only for voters with a disability.
- Accommodations will be made for voters with a disability at their polling location. Anyone needing access to an ADA-accessible ballot marking device to vote on Nov. 3 should call the Middlesex County Board of Elections at 732-745-3471.
- Voters may submit their own completed and sealed Vote By Mail ballot at their assigned polling location in-person on Nov. 3. For a list of polling locations, visit www.middlesexcountynj.gov/vote2020. Note: Bearers will be prohibited from submitting another individual’s ballot at polling locations.
If a Vote By Mail ballot is lost, damaged or not received, a voter may request a duplicate. Fill out the replacement ballot form on the middlesexcountynj.gov/vote2020 website and submit it to the county clerk’s office. The deadline to request a replacement ballot to be sent to you via the mail is Oct. 23, though voters may request a replacement ballot in-person at a VIC or the county clerk’s office through Nov. 3.
For election information and general questions, visit www.middlesexcountynj.gov/vote2020. For questions regarding applications or the sending of mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 General Election, call the Elections Division of the county clerk’s office at 732-745-4202. For all other questions, call the Board of Elections at 732-745-3471.