Election 2012 voting FAQ

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)

Where Do I Vote?

• Locate your polling location by consulting the list below in “Voting Information/News by Municipality & County”. Text “Where” to 877877, Use Google’s poll locator or call your local Municipal (town) Clerk
• Here’s a list of Polling places listed county by county all across the state

Voter protection information / Voter Rights

If you have a problem voting or having your vote count on Election Day get help by:

• Visiting VOTE411.org or call 1-866-OUR-VOTE for assistance
• File a written report about voter issues you become aware of, or experience directly at ourvotelive.org
• You may also contact the Democratic State Committee’s legal hotline at 732-640-2250 if you have any questions about your voting rights or you feel that you’ve been denied access to vote, or email State Democratic Committee Executive Director Paul Penna
• EXCELLENT voter information at League of Women Voters

Voting Information/News by Municipality & County

Please note that you have several options for voting in the 2012 election on Election Day:

• You can vote at your polling place
• You can vote by going to your County Clerk’s Office
• If you are displaced as a result of the hurricane, you will be able to go to any open polling location in the state of New Jersey and cast a Provisional Ballot.
• If you’ve been displaced as a result of the Hurricane, you can also vote by email or by fax by requesting a Vote By Mail ballot.This is a process the state already uses for military personnel stationed overseas and is known as voting “electronically”. To vote electronically, submit a Vote By Mail ballot application either by e-mail or fax to their county clerk on or before 5:00pm on Election Day, Tuesday, November 6th. Once your application is approved, the clerk will electronically send your ballot by either fax or email in accordance with the preference you have indicated. Voters must return their electronic ballot – by fax or email – no later than November 6, 2012, at 8 p.m. Voters can download a mail-in ballot application at the following link: http://nj.gov/state/elections/voting-information-vote-by-mail.html.

Here’s a list of Polling places listed county by county all across the state

• Passaic County

  The Passaic County GOTV door hanger being distributed today includes a sample ballot and voting instructions in English and Spanish. Please call the Pascrell office at 201-933-0333 or PCDC at 973-279-4647 if you have questions.

• Paterson

  Most polling places in Paterson will remain the same except two locations which have been changed: Build Academy (formely known as Don Bosco High School) has been changed to Hillcrest Fire House located at 221 Union Avenue; Martin Luther King School No. 30 has been changed to Rutland Early Learning Center located at 851 E. 28th Street; these were the only two polling place changes in Paterson.

• Englewood

  A shuttle bus for 4th ward residents will pick up residents from some of the old poll locations and take them to vote at Liberty School. The shuttle will run from 9am-5pm approximately every half hour, stopping in this order at: First Baptist Church, King’s Gardens (William Street entrance), Ebenezer Baptist Church and Liberty School. All Rock Creek voters must go to Flat Rock Brook to vote.

• Middlesex County

  Middlesex Municipal and County Clerk contact information Board of Elections Tel 732-745-3471 (call to get fax number) and e-mail

Please also see Special New Jersey voting options for 2012 election