COURT HOUSE – The following is by Cape May County Clerk Rita Fulginiti:
There is a lot of national news this summer regarding mid-term elections. I have been receiving phone calls from Cape May County voters about what the upcoming “mid-term elections” mean to them.
The General Election of Tuesday, Nov 6, 2018 will be the “mid-term” federal election to elect a U.S. Senator from New Jersey, a member of the House of Representatives from NJ District 2 which includes all of Cape May County.
In fact, all U.S. voters will have the opportunity to vote for members of Congress on Nov. 6. It is considered a “mid-term” election because this federal election is midway between the presidential election of 2016 and the next presidential election of 2020.
In Cape May County we also have local candidates on the ballot: a member of the Board of Chosen Freeholders as well as local candidates for Cape May City, Dennis Township, Lower Township, Middle Township, North Wildwood, Stone Harbor, Upper Township, Woodbine and all 17 local and regional Boards of Education.
There will also be a state public question on the ballot regarding a school projects bond.
Common Question
Some of my callers ask if they may vote for a candidate of a party different from their current party affiliation. The answer is yes.
At a General Election voters may cast ballots for any candidate of their choosing be it Republican, Democrat, independent or other party or write-in a personal choice candidate.
It was this past June 5 Primary Election when voters affiliated with the Democratic and Republican parties nominated their candidates to go forward in the coming General Election.
New Law
On Aug.10 Gov. Murphy signed into law P.L. 2018 c. 72 which expanded the Vote by Mail options for voters.
The Vote by Mail Application and Voter Registration forms have been updated since the change. Previously voters had the option to receive a ballot by mail a) for one election only, b) for all elections in a calendar year, or c) for all future General Elections.
This new law provides voters the option to receive a Vote by Mail ballot for one election only or to be on the list for Vote by Mail ballot for all future elections until the voter contacts the County Clerk to opt out.
This law mandates the County Clerk convert all active voters who had approved Vote by Mail applications in 2016 to receive Vote by Mail Ballots for all future elections.
The County Clerk’s Office is notifying 3,295 voters who are affected by this law to inform them of their options.
Vote by Mail Ballots Commence
The County Clerk is preparing to commence mailing of the Vote by Mail ballots on Friday, Sept. 21. We expect approximately 6,000 Cape May County voters will be voting by mail in this coming election.
Sample Ballots
Sample ballots will be delivered by Nov. 2.
All active voters will receive a sample ballot in the mail during the week before the election.
The sample ballot will show all the races, candidates, and questions for which the voter may cast a ballot in this election and will list the voter’s polling location and hours.
Voters who receive a Vote by Mail ballot should vote that ballot and return it as soon as possible to the Board of Elections.
The new law allows that every mail-in ballot that bears a postmark date of the day of the election and that is received by the county board within 48 hours after the time of the closing of the polls shall be considered valid and counted.
Use of Provisional Ballots on Election Day
I expect the use of provisional ballots by voters on Election Day will increase because of the timing and provisions of this new law.
Provisional ballots are paper ballots given to voters at the polls on Election Day to be voted and enclosed in an outer certification envelope which is completed by the voter.
The Board of Elections reviews these certifications before the decision is made to count each secret provisional ballot.
Voters who are given a provisional ballot are not permitted to vote in the voting booth.
The following are the reasons a provisional ballot is given to a voter:
1. The voter has moved within the county and has not notified the Board of Elections of a new address.
2. The voter has already been issued a Mail-in ballot for this election.
3. The voter’s name does not appear in the poll book.
For more information utilize the website www.capemaycountyvotes.com or call 609 465 1013.