Hanlon Announces Hotline For Vote-By-Mail Voters

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon has established a hotline for Vote-By-Mail voters to verify that their ballots have been received or for voters who have had their ballot returned to their home by the Post Office to call for assistance or instructions.

The dedicated phone number to call is 732-303-2900.  Calls will be answered between 8:30 am and 4:3o pm, Monday through Friday.

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Hanlon announces measures to correct Vote-By-Mail issues

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon

Freehold, NJ-Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon announced this morning that there as been an issue throughout the State of New Jersey with the proper delivery of Vote-By-Mail ballots being returned to the Board of Elections in voters respective counties.

Hanlon said that out of over 23,000 ballots requested in Monmouth County, over 4,700 voters have already returned their ballots to the Board of Elections without issue.However, the Clerk’s Office has received about 30 calls from voters who mailed in their ballots and had them return to to their homes by the Post Office.

Postal Service scanners have been picking up the tracking label on the return address of some ballots as the “mail to” address.

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Hanlon announces reforms to Vote By Mail procedures

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon

FREEHOLD, NJ – Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon announced important reforms in how Monmouth County voters can apply for Vote By Mail ballots with the County Clerk and how the Board of Elections can receive voted ballots from voters.

The reforms are effective immediately under a new law signed by Governor Chris Christie on August 10, 2015.

“The new law impacts New Jersey voters who, by necessity or by choice, have another individual submit a Vote By Mail request and/or election ballot on their behalf,” Hanlon said.

The new law reduces number of voters for whom a person can serve as “messenger” from 10 to three.

It also limits the number of voted mail-in ballots transmittable by a “bearer” to the County Board of Elections to three ballots.

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“A-Team” sues to overturn Asbury Park elections

UPDATE: AsburyParkSun reports that if the Monmouth County Board of Elections decision to not count the disqualified Vote By Mail ballots is overturned, that a runoff election between Mayor John Moor and Remond Palmer could be triggered.

Asbury Park Mayor-elect John Moor told MMM that he was informed by City Attorney Fredrick Raffetto this afternoon that the City has been served with a lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of both the municipal and Board of Education elections that were held on November 4, 2014.  According to Moor’s recalculation, the plaintiffs are Remond Palmer, the “A-Team” candidate for mayor and Arva Council, an “A-Team” candidate for Board of Education.

Moor said that his understanding is that the plaintiffs are seeking to have the results of the election overturned and for the 353 Vote By Mail ballots disqualified by the Monmouth County Board of Election to be counted.

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Christie Administration Announces E-Mail and Fax Voting For New Jerseyans Displaced by Sandy

Already Available to Military and Overseas Voters, State Opens Electronic Voting System to Make Voting More Accessible to Citizens Displaced by Hurricane Sandy and First Responders Assisting in Recovery Efforts

Trenton, NJ –The New Jersey Department of State has issued a directive today to county elections officials to permit New Jersey registered voters displaced by Hurricane Sandy to vote electronically. This directive also is intended to assist displaced first responders, whose tireless recovery efforts away from home has made voting a challenge.

“This has been an extraordinary storm that has created unthinkable destruction across our state and we know many people have questions about how and where to cast their vote in Tuesday’s election. To help alleviate pressure on polling places, we encourage voters to either use electronic voting or the extended hours at county offices to cast their vote,” said Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno. “Despite the widespread damage Hurricane Sandy has caused, New Jersey is committed to working through the enormous obstacles before us to hold an open and transparent election befitting our state and the resiliency of its citizens.”

To vote electronically, displaced voters may submit a mail-in ballot application either by e-mail or fax to their county clerk. Once an application is approved, the clerk will electronically send a ballot to the voter by either fax or e-mail in accordance to the voter’s preference. Voters must return their electronic ballot – by fax or email – no later than November 6, 2012, at 8 p.m.

Voters can download a mail-in ballot application for their county by visiting http://nj.gov/state/elections/voting-information-vote-by-mail.html. A list of county clerk websites, phone numbers and fax numbers are available by visiting http://nj.gov/state/elections/voting-information-local-officials.html.

Separate directives issued today enable displaced voters and first responders to vote by provisional ballot at a polling place in a county other than the voter’s county of registration. The deadline for county clerks to receive mail-in ballots has been extended to November 19, 2012, for any ballot postmarked on or before November 5, 2012. Mail-in ballots post marked later than November 5 will not be accepted.

County elections officials have also been directed to print a sufficient number of provisional and emergency ballots to accommodate voters.

Voters are encouraged to take advantage of extended office hours at county elections offices to cast their vote early and in-person.  Registered voters can obtain and cast their ballot in-person at their county elections office up until 3 pm Tuesday.  County election offices are to remain open, at a minimum, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm throughout the weekend, until November 5.  Voters that have a mail-in ballot and choose to deliver their ballot to the county elections office in person must present their completed ballot to their county elections office no later than the close of polls on Tuesday.

Information is also available by calling 1-877-NJVOTER.

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