County Clerk Hanlon Advises of Major Changes to the July 7, 2020 Primary Election Process per the Governor’s Executive Order Primary Election to be conducted primarily via Vote by Mail – Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon is advising Monmouth County voters that Governor Murphy announced major changes to the July 7 Primary Election process due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These updates come after the initial change in the primary election date from June 2 to July 7, which was announced in April. According to the Governor’s Executive Order No. 144, all active registered Republican and Democratic voters will automatically receive mail-in ballots for voting in the 2020 Primary Election.
The commencement of the mailing of Primary Election ballots to all registered and active civilian Republicans and Democrats will be Friday, June 12, per the New Jersey Secretary of State.
Per Executive Order No. 144, all registered unaffiliated and inactive Republican and Democratic voters will receive a postage-paid vote by mail application so they can apply to receive a mail-in ballot to vote in the 2020 Primary Election. The vote by mail application was specifically designed by the New Jersey Secretary of State for the 2020 Primary Election and is also available for download on our elections website at MonmouthCountyVotes.com.
The vote by mail application requires unaffiliated voters to declare affiliation with either the Republican or Democratic Party to receive a ballot to vote in the Primary Election. Once the completed vote by mail application is received by the County Clerk’s Office, the voter will receive a mail-in ballot based upon the political party declared on the submitted vote by mail application.
The deadline for the County Clerk’s Election Office to receive a vote by mail application via mail in time to provide a mail-in ballot to the voter by mail for the Primary Election is June 30. In-person vote by mail applications will be accepted by the County Clerk’s Election Office located at 300 Halls Mill Road in Freehold prior to 8 p.m. on Primary Election Day, July 7.
It is important to note that unaffiliated voters currently registered to receive vote by mail ballots, must complete the special 2020 Primary Election Vote by Mail Application to declare a party affiliation, in order to receive a vote by mail ballot for this election.
Voters can return their completed Primary Election mail-in ballot to the County Board of Elections via mail, drop box, or in-person by the following deadlines, in order for the ballot to be considered timely and to be canvassed, per Executive Order:
If a voter is returning his or her completed mail-in ballot by mail via the United States Postal Service (USPS), the ballot must be postmarked on or before Primary Election Day, July 7, and received by the County Board of Elections by 8 p.m. on July 14. The County Clerk’s Office has provided a postage-paid envelope for the return of the completed mail-in ballot; therefore, voters are not required to attach a stamp when returning the ballot via USPS.
Voters may also choose to deposit the completed mail-in ballot in one of the secure drop boxes located throughout the County. The deadline for delivering the ballot via drop box is 8 p.m. on Primary Election Day, July 7. Voters should call the County Board of Elections at 732-431-7802 for information regarding drop box locations.
If a voter would prefer to deliver his or her completed mail-in ballot in-person, the deadline for the County Board of Elections at 300 Halls Mill Road in Freehold to receive mail-in ballots in-person is 8 p.m. on Primary Election Day, July 7. If delivered in-person, the voter or the bearer must present identification when surrendering the ballot.
A limited number of polling places will be available for voters on July 7, Primary Election Day, where only provisional paper ballots will be available to cast their vote. Voters will receive a mailed notice a week before the election regarding the location of their polling place. Per the Executive Order, sample ballots will not be mailed to voters for the 2020 Primary Election, however, the County Clerk’s Office has made the sample ballots available online for viewing at MonmouthCountyVotes.com and on the Monmouth County Votes Mobile App.
Voters with disabilities or who need an accessible ballot, should contact the County Clerk’s Office at 732-431-7790, or may go to their assigned Primary Election polling place, which will provide access to an in-person accessible voting device on Primary Election Day. More information regarding the Primary Election can be obtained by logging onto our elections website at MonmouthCountyVotes.com or by downloading our free Monmouth County Votes Mobile App in the Apple App or Google Play Stores. Voters with questions should contact the County Clerk’s Election Office by phone to 732-431-7790 or email to ClerkofElections@co.monmouth.nj.us.