County Clerk Hanlon Advises of Governor’s Executive Order Mandating Nov. 3 General Election be Conducted Primarily via Vote by Mail

FREEHOLD, NJ – Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon is advising Monmouth County voters that Governor Phil Murphy has announced major changes to the Nov. 3 General Election process due to the COVID-19 Public Health situation. Similarly to the July Primary Election, the General Election will be conducted primarily by mail-in ballots with limited polling locations open for voting on paper provisional ballots only.

According to the Governor’s Executive Order No. 177, all registered and active voters will automatically receive mail-in ballots for voting in the 2020 General Election without the need to submit a vote by mail application.

The Executive Order states that ballots must be mailed to voters on or before Oct. 5. The County Clerk’s Office will provide a postage-paid envelope for the return of the completed mail-in ballot; therefore, voters are not required to attach a stamp when returning the ballot via U.S. Postal Service (USPS).

According to the Executive Order, voters can return their completed General Election mail-in ballots to the County Board of Elections via mail, drop box, in-person to the Board of Elections Office, or in-person at their assigned 2020 General Election polling place. More information on deadlines and placement of drop boxes will be forthcoming.

A limited number of polling places will be available for voters on Nov. 3, General Election Day, where only paper provisional ballots will be available for voting. Voters with disabilities or who need an accessible ballot, should contact the County Clerk’s Office at 732-431-7790, or may go to their assigned 2020 General Election polling place, which will provide access to an in-person accessible voting device on General Election Day.

Per Executive Order, sample ballots will not be mailed to voters for the 2020 General Election, but a notice indicating voters’ polling locations will be. The County Clerk’s Office will make the sample ballots available online for viewing at MonmouthCountyVotes.com and on the Monmouth County Votes Mobile App, once the ballots are ready. A sample ballot will also be available at each polling place on Election Day.

“I encourage voters to check our elections website at MonmouthCountyVotes.com in the coming weeks and to follow the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office on social media for information regarding the General Election,” said Clerk Hanlon. “We will continue to provide updates as we receive more guidance from the State Division of Elections about the election process.”

Voters with questions should contact the County Clerk’s Election Office during normal business hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. by phone to 732-431-7790 or email to ClerkofElections@co.monmouth.nj.us.