Month: November 2012

FAQ: Questions about election/voting procedures

• Q: I didn’t get my Voter ID card after registering to vote. Can I still vote?
  A: Yes. If you’re a registered voter who appears on the voter rolls (see below for how to check if you’re registered), you can vote. If you submitted a registration form but don’t appear on the voter’s roster at your polling place, you have two options:
  • Submit a provisional ballot which can be obtained at any polling place (voter station) or your County Clerk or Board of Elections Office.
  • New Jersey residents also have the option of petitioning your county’s court for the right to cast a regular voting ballot. Do this by visiting the Board of Election or County Clerk in your county.
  Q: How can I find out if I’m registered to vote? A: Visit canivote.org To check if you’re registered to vote and to find your polling place Q: Can I vote electronically, by email or fax? A: Yes! New Jersey voters that are, “displaced voters” can cast ballots by fax or email. What’s more, I learned at 6:10pm from the Assistant Bergen County Clerk that due to overwhelming demand, Governor Christie has just authorized the County Clerk’s offices around New Jersey to continue processing ballot requests through Friday Nov 9 for Vote By Mail applications that were received electronically by the submission deadline of 5pm on Election Day, Nov 6.. The Clerks’ staff need this extra time to finish checking and entering Vote By Mail applications received, and to generate and send out ballots by fax or email in accordance with the preference each voter has indicated). Although thousands of ballots have been processed in Bergen County, many still remain. The vote of each and every registered voter who returns an electronic ballot by Friday will be counted for the 2012 General Election :).

  The deadline for submitting a request for an electronic ballot ended at 5pm Tuesday, Nov 6, 2012. No new procedure was established to make this process possible for New Jersey voters displaced by Hurricane Sandy; the procedure already existed for military personnel and United States residents living abroad. Permission to vote by electronic means expires at the end of the 2012 general election. These are the instructions that were provided.

  You will need to fax or email a Vote By Mail application to your County Clerk by 5pm on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov 6 2012. They will send you back a form you must sign waiving your right to having your vote be anonymous (because entering your vote will see it), and a ballot. After filling out the ballot, you return it by fax or email as indicated on the ballot.

• Q: How does a provisional ballot work?
  A: You can vote provisionally from any polling location or by visiting your county’s (see list) Board of Elections or County Clerks Offices – they’ll steer you to the right location. When the provisional ballot is reviewed, they Board of Elections should approve it based on what are a common entry errors (Street vs. Avenue, etc.).
• Q: Why didn’t I get a sample ballot?
  Sample ballots came out very late. Some people received them on Nov 5 and some people did not receive them at all.
• Q: What do I need to bring with me to vote at the polls?
  A: Here’s a list of what’s required in each state. In New Jersey, people who have already voted don’t need to bring any form of ID, but first time voters may be asked for identification.

Información en Español

Visite Ya Es Hora – ¡Ve y Vota! ó llamar al 888-839-3682 (888-VE-Y-VOTA) read more