Watch Out, New Jersey Voters, Mail-In Ballot Rules Have Changed

A law passed last month aimed at making it easier to vote by mail in New Jersey has voters confused and county clerks rushing to notify residents of key rule changes.

According to the bill, which Governor Phil Murphy signed Aug. 10, voters who mailed in their ballots for the 2016 general election are automatically registered to vote by mail unless they opt out.

But Essex County Clerk Christopher Durkin said voters who don't opt out and show up at their polling place will still be able to vote.

"The poll worker will not allow you to vote on the machine, because it will state that you requested a vote-by-mail ballot," Durkin said. "But the poll worker will allow you to vote on a provisional paper ballot."

A notice from the Burlington County Clerk.

(Caroline English / WNYC)

Clerks in Jersey's 21 counties are racing against a Sept. 22 deadline, which is when they have to start sending out vote-by-mail ballots. This means most are requesting voters to opt out by Sept. 14.

But notifying voters of the new rule in a timely manner has been challenging, especially since many addresses might by outdated.

"Voters two years ago, obviously, might have moved in the meantime," he said. "They might have requested a ballot when they were on vacation or away at work, or they requested a ballot to their school."

And county clerks didn't seem to get much guidance from the Murphy administration.

"The law left a lot to be interpreted and really didn't really cover all of the issues that would arise,"  said Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon.

Hanlon said the workload is crushing. She's had to nearly triple her regular election staff of about four.

"My staff has been working around the clock from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.," she said.

Both Durkin and Hanlon said voters should reach out to their local clerk's office with any questions, since each county has different rules. Voters in Essex and Monmouth can send in paperwork online, for example, but that might not be the case in other counties. 

But some voters in Monmouth County haven't even received letters alerting them to change their registration by Friday if they want to vote in person.

Alison De Noia of Colts Neck said she got a notice in the mail on Monday, but her husband had yet to receive one by Wednesday afternoon.

And she worries the confusion might end up hurting voter participation.

"What ends up happening is voters get discouraged and then they don't vote," De Noia said. 

Governor Murphy did not respond to a request for comment.