Good morning, New Jersey.
It’s the sixth of nine days of in-person early voting for the Thursday, April 16 special general election for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Jersey’s 11th district, where Democrat Analilia Mejia, Republican Joe Hathaway, and independent Alan Bond will face off for the unexpired term of Mikie Sherrill.
So far, 9,204 votes have been cast in-person, and 32,801 by mail.
Early voting opens at 10 AM this morning, with early voting locations open until 8 PM. Early voting is open on Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM.
If you arrive at the early voting center by 8 PM – or 6 PM on Sunday – you will be permitted to vote no matter how long the line is. Do not leave.
Voters may vote from any designated in-person early voting location in the county where they are registered. Click HERE for a list of early voting poll locations in each county.
The final day for early voting is Tuesday, April 14, from 10 AM to 6 PM. You may vote at any early voting center in your county.
Early voting centers are located in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties.
Secure Ballot Drop Box locations are in Essex, Morris and Passaic.
On Election Day, Thursday, April 16, from 6 AM to 8 PM. Click HERE to find your polling location.
Don’t get disenfranchised. Go before a judge, if necessary
If you are not allowed to vote or feel incorrectly pushed to vote on a provisional ballot when you’re entitled to vote on the machine, you can present your case to a Superior Court Judge to determine your eligibility to vote. Judges will be on call for each of the nine days of early voting; hearings are done remotely, and you can attend a hearing via Zoom from your phone at a polling location.
Voters should not readily accept being turned away. Ask to speak to the person in charge, known as the Super Poll Worker, the individual who is most fluent in ways that can help you vote.
If you intend to appear before an election judge, you may call the ACLU Voter Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) or contact your county election officials. Click HERE for a list.
The New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission will be available during early voting hours to confirm issues related to vote registration at an MVC center.
If you are a first-time voter and registered by mail, you will be asked to show identification at the polls. If you don’t bring an acceptable form of ID, you may vote by provisional ballot and then get your ID to a county election office within 48 hours to have your vote counted.
You have a right to cast a provisional ballot if you believe you are entitled to vote, but your name does not appear on the electronic poll book list of registered voters. You may also vote with a provisional ballot if you moved within your original county and have not registered at your new address or moved to a new county within 30 days of Election Day – but you may not vote if you moved from another county or another state 31 days before.
If you have changed your name since registering to vote, you have the right to vote under your original name.
Remember that the number one cause of provisional ballots is a vote-by-mail ballot already sent to you. Don’t worry if you can’t locate it; you may use a provisional ballot. Just don’t vote twice.
As a New Jersey voter, you have a right to vote without intimidation, threats, coercion, or interference. Anyone who believes their vote has been interfered with, or seeks to report voting-related issues, can call the New Jersey Voter Information and Assistance line at 877-NJVOTER. You may also contact the American Civil Liberties Union hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.
If an official challenger challenges your right to vote, ask a poll worker for an affidavit sign to confirm your identity or address. The poll worker will allow you to vote either on the machine or by a provisional ballot. To be clear, a provisional ballot counts the same as a machine vote.
If you’re uncertain if your vote was counted, ask a poll worker for help.
If a voting machine malfunctions, ask for a paper ballot. That counts the same.
Early voting is just one of many voting options in the upcoming election.
Vote-by-mail ballots may be dropped in secure drop boxes or returned by the U.S. Postal Service at the voter’s peril; ballots must be postmarked by 8 PM on April 16. If you cast a mail-in vote, track your ballot HERE to make sure it has arrived at your county election office.
Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport has a Voting Rights Resources page to answer questions about your rights under state law. Click HERE.
Voters who feel they have faced discrimination or harassment in pursuit of their right to vote can also file a report with the Division on Civil Rights through the NJ BIAS online portal — https://bias.njcivilrights.gov — or may call 1-800-277-BIAS (1-800-277-2427). Urgent complaints concerning allegations of discrimination or harassment filed with the Division on Civil Rights may be addressed during the election or after the election.
Click HERE to check your voter registration status.
