Mail-in ballots, absentee ballots, early voting. These phrases have flooded conversations about the upcoming 2020 presidential election, which will take place on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The culprit is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has changed the political climate and redefined voting procedures for this year. Amid the commotion of this eventful and historic year, it’s essential to know the voting procedures, dates, and deadlines circulating around this year’s election. Here is your formal guide to navigating the 2020 presidential election.
Firstly, before creating a voting action plan, it’s important to check your voter registration status. If you are not yet registered to vote, New Jersey offers online voter registration. If you are unable to register online, you can also register to vote by filling out a voter registration application and mailing it to your respective county commissioner of registration or superintendent of elections. Regardless of registration type, the deadline to register to vote in New Jersey is October 13, 2020 (registration by mail must be postmarked by this date). If you plan to vote and are unsure about your voter registration, ensure that you familiarize yourself with this information.
Congrats! If you’ve made it this far, you’re officially registered to vote! The next step is understanding how voting will occur during this election. Some states require that voters send in an application if they wish to vote by mail. However, Governor Phil Murphy signed an executive order that will allow the presidential election to take place almost entirely by mail in New Jersey. This executive order mandates that every registered voter be sent a ballot through the mail, including prepaid postage. Therefore, if you’re already registered to vote or if you register before the deadline, there’s no need to send an application indicating that you will be voting by mail. New Jersey residents should expect to receive their ballot by October 5, 2020. It is important to distinguish that the ballot you receive will not be a sample ballot, but the actual ballot that will be used to receive your vote.
If you wish to vote in-person, you may do so. Otherwise, you can send your ballot in the following ways: by mailing your ballot, depositing it in one of the secure drop-off boxes to be stationed across the state, or bringing it to any polling location on Election Day. Regardless of the way you choose to send your ballot, it must be postmarked by November 3, 2020, and received by your county by November 10, 2020. After depositing your ballot, you can check whether or not your vote was counted and reasons for rejection by calling 1-877-NJVOTER. With these modified rules, there’s no need to worry about absentee voting or early voting. This hybrid election combines the aspects of absentee voting and early voting into the mail-in voting system.
Planning to vote in Hoboken? The polling locations in Hoboken and other information about this year’s election can be found here.
Featured image courtesy of hercampus.com.
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