County Clerk Advises Residents to Make Sure Voting Information is Up to Date
Following the Governor’s executive order declaring the November 3 General Election as a primarily vote-by-mail election, Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello is strongly advising voters to update or verify voter registration and signature information with the Mercer County Clerk’s Office and Mercer County Superintendent of Elections.
It is recommended that all registered voters have an up-to-date physical address, and if they will be away between late September and Election Day, they should apply to vote by mail noting the mailing address required. It is also recommended that if a person has a permanent vote-by-mail status, they should make sure that the address that is on file is correct. This can be done by calling the County Clerk’s Office at 609-989-6494 or 609-989-6495.
“In an election that will primarily be conducted through the mail, it is important that we have the most up-to-date information available for every voter,” said Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello. “This is the best way to have your vote counted in this important election.”
The County Clerk’s Office relies on the voter registration rolls for accuracy of addresses when mailing ballots. To help keep the most accurate records, anything that comes to your residence addressed to someone who does not currently live there should be put back in the mail and marked “return to sender.”
Before the election, all voters, regardless of party affiliation, will receive a mail-in ballot, where they will be able to fill in their choices. Return postage on all ballots is paid. In addition to mailing in their ballots, voters will have the option of placing their ballots in one of the secure drop boxes throughout the County. Voters who go to the polls will be able to vote by provisional (paper) ballot or in a voting machine (only if voter is disabled). At least one polling place per municipality will be available. Further details, including polling places and drop box locations, will be determined by the Mercer County Board of Elections.
The earliest ballots will be mailed out towards the end of September. The deadline to register to vote in time for the General Election is October 13. The deadline for the Clerk’s Office to receive a mailed in vote-by-mail application is October 23. Residents can also walk in to the Mercer County Clerk’s Office and request a mail-in ballot until Election Day at 8 p.m. All ballots sent in must be postmarked no later than November 3 and received by the Board of Elections no later than November 10, one week after the Election. Alternatively, voters may return their ballots personally to the poll workers at their polling place.
For more information on the General Election, please visit the Mercer County Clerk’s Website at http://www.mercercounty.org/government/county-clerk.
For a complete list of Mercer County polling and drop box locations, visit the Mercer County Board of Elections Website after September 8 at http://www.mercercounty.org/boards-commissions/board-of-elections.