Election Day is just four days away. If you haven’t voted yet, there are a number of ways to return your vote-by-mail ballots.
At this stage, it is likely TOO LATE to mail your ballot through the US mail and expect it to be received in time — that’s the advice from New Jersey election officials.
And while some polling places will be open, voters (except the visually impaired) cannot vote on a machine, only with a paper, provisional ballot.
Here are your options:
1. Drop your ballot at a secure drop box, where County Election Officials pick up the deposited ballots every day up through and including Election Day. Boxes are open 24 hours a day. You can drop your ballot at any drop box in Essex County.
Maplewood Drop Box: Maplewood Police and Courts Building, 1618 Springfield Avenue
South Orange Drop Box: Sloan Street at the Gazebo
2. Drop off your ballot in person (or request a replacement ballot and vote then and there) at:
Hall of Records in Newark (465 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Newark, NJ),
Monday – Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and Saturday 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.
Essex County Educational Center (560 Northfield Ave., West Orange, NJ)
Friday, October 30 from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm; and Saturday, October 31 from 9:00 am – 12 noon.
3. Voting in-person on Election Day
You can vote in person on a provisional ballot OR drop off your mail-in ballot on November 3, Election Day; Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
If you turn in your mail in ballot at an in person voting place, you may only turn in your own ballot. You cannot be the “bearer” of another person’s ballot at the in person voting locations.
Maplewood
Vote by Mail completed ballots can be dropped off at any of the 4 polling locations in each town.
In-person voting goes by your voting district. Find your usual polling place here.
- Maplewood Community Center, 120 Burnett Ave. (districts 9, 11,1 2, 13, 15, 20, 21)
- Maplewood Town Hall, 574 Valley Street (districts 1, 3, 5, 6, 19)
- The Woodland, 60 Woodland Road (districts 2, 7, 8, 17)
- Clinton School, 27 Berkshire Road (districts 4, 10, 14, 16, 22)
South Orange
- Seton Hall University, 400 South Orange Avenue (Districts 1 & 12)
- South Orange Middle School, 70 North Ridgewood Rd. (districts 3, 6, 7, 8, 13)
- Marshall School, 262 Grove Road (districts 2 & 10)
- First Presbyterian & Trinity Church, 111 Irvington Avenue (districts 4, 9, 11)
All NJ public schools will be closed on Election Day.
See this video on how to fill out your ballot:
Making sure your ballot is not rejected:
Do not detach the certificate from the ballot before putting it into the envelope. The ballot includes a return postage paid envelope, so you do not need to provide postage. Your signatures must match on your ballot and your registration. However, this year because of the amended Ballot Cure Act in NJ, if there is an issue with your ballot you will be sent a “Cure Form” that may be verified and returned up to 48 hours prior to the deadline for certifying the final vote tally.
How can I track my mail-in ballot to make sure it has been received?
Essex County voters can track their ballots here. NOTE: your ballot status will say “Received” if it has been received by the Board of Elections. It will not say “Accepted” until November 18, the last day voters can fix signature problems.
Voters can also call their County Election Officials to confirm their ballot has been received.
Who is on the ballot?
In addition to choosing the next president, New Jersey residents will be casting their votes for US Senator, House of Representatives, Freeholders and more. Locally, South Orange and Maplewood residents are also casting ballots for Board of Education candidates, and Maplewood residents are voting for two Township Committee members.
See sample ballots for Essex County voters here: http://www.essexclerk.com/_Content/pdf/November-3rd-2020-General-Election-Sample-Ballots.pdf
