Did you get your mail-in ballot?

Jaytee said:

It seems like the same system they used when mailing out the stimulus money in the spring. I guess we just have to wait. It has to be a lot of mail to get out.

 No, that was federal.  This is state/county.


The reminder to look on the other side, for the BOE election, and at least make an attempt to find out about the candidates, is very important.

I feel sorry for the BOE candidates, who have to contend with both the absence of any gatherings to meet voters, and an electorate which is focused on the Presidential election and making their ballot-return plans only on that basis.

FilmCarp said:

I caution folks not to be in such a rush to vote that they don't research the school board candidates in MAPSO.  It is important to know how 58% of our property taxes are spent.  I have tried to read up on two candidates and I've found nothing but empty platitudes.  No one is against the things they are for, and they print no possible solutions to our problems.  My ballot will go in a drop box.  Its okay if it goes in in late October.

 


I am too worried about the signature issue so I will wait and vote in person.


wendyn said:

I am too worried about the signature issue so I will wait and vote in person.

 Your vote is more likely to count if you use the mail ballot (and put it in a drop box) than if you vote in person using a provisional ballot.


If you have family or friends who vote in Brooklyn, there is a major **** up with the absentee ballots.  Wrong envelopes included with thousands of ballots.


Mine arrived yesterday.


Ours arrived yesterday as well.

I am planning to wait until I get more information on the BOE candidates. Then I will most likely put it in the drop box near the fire station.


mrincredible said:

Ours arrived yesterday as well.

I am planning to wait until I get more information on the BOE candidates. Then I will most likely put it in the drop box near the fire station.

 Exactly this


I mailed mine yesterday right in front of the Maplewood police station. There is an on street parking space right there, only a few feet from the box. So easy. 


max_weisenfeld said:

If you have family or friends who vote in Brooklyn, there is a major **** up with the absentee ballots.  Wrong envelopes included with thousands of ballots.

 The NY Board of Elections (or whoever runs the show) is probably the worst such org in the country. It's embarrassing.


I voted today at the drop box in South Orange. I had the frantic feeling that if I left it on a table my cat would slide it to the floor and then bat it around until it looked like a paper doily. My cat chewed my ballot is worse than my dog ate my homework.


You can check on the status of your vote at

https://voter.svrs.nj.gov/auth/sign-in

Easy peasy to set up you account and you can see if your ballot has been received


Thank you librarylady - I verified that my ballot was received.  grin


I wonder when they open them up to see if they're valid?


drummerboy said:

I wonder when they open them up to see if they're valid?

Seem to remember reading somewhere that in Essex they will open ballots immediately upon receipt to check the outer envelope for any errors, and voters will be notified so they have a chance to correct any problems and keep their vote from being disqualified.  I think they can't actually open and begin counting the votes until 10 days before Election Day.


I dropped mine in the South Orange drop box this morning. There are two parking spaces reserved for using the box.


I just received a Thank You For Voting postcard. I had put my ballot in the South Orange drop box on October 6. So I guess everyone should look for theirs.  


I posted this in the other thread. At this point I wouldn't try mailing a ballot. I would only use the drop box or hand it to a poll worker on election day.


From West Orange's website, but for all Essex County: 

Posted on: October 23, 2020

STILL NEED A BALLOT?

vote-us-flag

The County will be on site at the Educational Center by Codey Arena on the following dates/times for anyone that needs a second ballot:
Thursday, October 29, 2020 from 9a – 2p
Friday, October 30, from 9a – 2p
Saturday, October 31 from 9a – Noon

I am taking my nephew tomorrow to get one because although the website said it was mailed, it probably went to his old address. We filed a change of address at the beginning of the month, which was after the MIBs were sent, but he never received a second one. 



A friend of a friend has what I would consider an unusual problem.  She moved to Essex County from Bergin County in February 2020.  Since she has been voting in every election for many years, she did not realize until after October 13th (Last day for voter registration in NJ) that she had to officially switch her voting location to her new address .  She kept waiting to receive her mail in ballot and of course none came to her new address in Essex County.  She wants to vote in this election.  What recourse, if any, does she have?  If recourse exists, what does she need to do/present and where and when does she need to do this?


I think reaching out to the Bergen County Clerk might be the best place to go:

https://www.bergencountyclerk.org/

Or just go in person to her old voting location on election day and fill out a paper ballot in person.


jamie said:

I think reaching out to the Bergen County Clerk might be the best place to go:

https://www.bergencountyclerk.org/

Or just go in person to her old voting location on election day and fill out a paper ballot in person.

 To complicate matters further, she recently reported her change of address to Bergen County and has been removed from their list of active voters. Therefore a ballot cast by her in Bergen County would not be accepted for this election.  Also, the candidates running in her old election district are different from those that would be on her Essex County ballot.  What she needs to do is transfer her polling place from her old address to the new one.  I just hope that Bergen County will still confirm her voting record there.


jamie said:

Or just go in person to her old voting location on election day and fill out a paper ballot in person.

 I don't think this is a good idea. She no longer resides in the other municipality so she is no longer eligible to vote in the election there. Remember that all the down-ballot races are tied more closely to geography. Imagine if someone moved from Maplewood to Ocean county months ago and came back to Maplewood to vote, including for BOE and Congress? That would be voter fraud.

She may be able to complete a Provisional ballot for her new address on Election Day. But I'm not sure she'll be able to successfully vote. I would have her contact the Essex County Clerk since that's where she lives now.


I think she should go to Codey Arena today before 2:00PM or tomorrow betweeen 9-12 and take a couple of forms of ID with her


STANV said:

I think she should go to Codey Arena today before 2:00PM or tomorrow betweeen 9-12 and take a couple of forms of ID with her

Isn't going to Codey Arena exclusively for the purpose of obtaining a second ballot, which assumes she was issued a ballot by Essex County that either got lost in the mail or was filled out incorrectly?  This would-be-voter is not currently registered to vote at her new address.  If she were to go to Codey Arena and receive a [replacement] ballot as a result, wouldn't her ballot be rejected? The question is what if anything she can do at this late date to be listed as registered in Essex County in time to vote in the November 3rd election.


joan_crystal said:

STANV said:

I think she should go to Codey Arena today before 2:00PM or tomorrow betweeen 9-12 and take a couple of forms of ID with her

Isn't going to Codey Arena exclusively for the purpose of obtaining a second ballot, which assumes she was issued a ballot by Essex County that either got lost in the mail or was filled out incorrectly?  This would-be-voter is not currently registered to vote at her new address.  If she were to go to Codey Arena and receive a [replacement] ballot as a result, wouldn't her ballot be rejected? The question is what if anything she can do at this late date to be listed as registered in Essex County in time to vote in the November 3rd election.

 I think that if she didn't handle it by October 13th, she may just have to sit out this election.  However, it would have been nice if Bergen County had specifically reminded/notified her that she needed to notify her new county by that dedaline.


If she wants to try hard, she should go to Codey and try hard.  Don't give up without even trying.


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