Important Message from the Union County Clerk Regarding the New Statewide Vote by Mail Law
Dear Union County Voter:
A new law signed by Governor Phil Murphy in August drastically changed the Vote-by-Mail rules in New Jersey. These changes are effective immediately and will impact the November General Election.
One of the changes involves how a voter can apply for a Vote-by-Mail Ballot. Before the change in the law, a voter had three options on the application. The voter could opt to receive a Vote-by- Mail Ballot for one election, all elections in one calendar year, and all future general elections.
Now, a voter has only two options for voting by mail. A voter can request a Vote-by-Mail Ballot for one election or for all elections every year until the voter opts out in writing.
Voters can download the updated Vote-by-Mail Ballot application from our Elections Website by clicking here and from the County Clerk’s free Union County Votes Mobile App, which can be found on the Apple App or Google Play stores.
All 2016 Mail-In Ballot voters have been sent a letter from the County Clerk’s Office advising of this change.
Most importantly, the new law mandates that all voters who voted by mail in the 2016 General Election be sent a Vote-by-Mail Ballot for the 2018 General Election, even if they did not request one. If these voters do not want to receive a 2018 General Election Mail-In Ballot, they must notify me in writing to opt out by printing out and filling out this form.
It is important to remember that, according to State law, any voter who receives a Vote-by-Mail Ballot will not be permitted to vote on a voting machine on Election Day. Voters will either have to utilize the Vote-by-Mail Ballot they receive or vote on a paper provisional ballot at the polls on Election Day.
I apologize for any inconvenience these changes may cause you, however, we must comply with the new State law.
If you have any questions about the Vote-by-Mail Ballot process or about the new law, I encourage you to contact my Elections Division at 908-527-4996 or ucvote@ucnj.org.
Sincerely,
Joanne Rajoppi
Union County Clerk