Voter Information

To vote in the November 4, 2008 Election you must be registered by October 14, 2008.

Registration forms are available in most Municipal, County and State offices. You must vote in your assigned polling place as shown on your sample ballot which you will receive by mail.

You may call the Piscataway Township Clerk, Ann Nolan, 732 562-2310 for further information on Voter Registration.

Voting Eligibility:

To register in New Jersey you must be:

1) a US citizen,
2) at least 18 years old on or before the next election,
3) residing at your present address for at least 30 days.

You are not eligible to register to vote if you are serving a sentence or on parole or probation, as a result of a conviction of an indictable offense under state or federal law or have been adjudged mentally incompetent.

As of January 1, 2003, pursuant to the federal "Help America Vote Act of 2002", which became law on October 29, 2002, identification requirements in federal elections apply to a restricted class of registrants who are 1) first time registrants within a political jurisdiction (currently within a county); and 2) must register by mail. Registrants within the definition of this class need to provide their New Jersey drivers license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. The identification requirements are only for federal elections, and individuals who do not provide such identification are still eligible to vote in local, county, and state elections.

The deadline for registering to vote is 29 days prior to the election. For the 2004 general election, this is October 4, 2004.

Where to Register:

Applications for registration can be obtained from the New Jersey Division of Elections, the Commissioners of Registration in the county where you live or from your municipal clerk. Registration forms are also available in various State agencies; at Division of Motor Vehicle offices; and at the registrar offices of public higher education institutions. You can also print a registration form (28k pdf) and after entering required information, mail it to the Commissioners of Registration office in the county where you reside. In addition, this form can be used for name and address changes. The Commissioners of Registration cannot accept faxed copies or an electronic transmission of a voter registration form since an original signature is required. The registrant must down load the form and send the hard copy to the Commissioner of Registration. The registration deadline to vote at the next election is 29 days prior to election day.

Absentee Ballot Applications:

Voters may also file absentee ballot applications. Under state law, civilian absentee ballots are available to voters who will not be able to vote in person on election day due to one of the following reasons:

• Expect to be absent from the State of New Jersey on election day
• Illness or temporary physical disability
• Permanently and totally disabled
• Observance of a religious holiday on election day
• Resident attendance at a school, college or university on election day
• Nature and hours of employment on election day

Military absentee ballots are available to a person, whether registered or not, who is in the military service; a spouse or dependent of someone in the military service; a patient in a veteran's hospital; or civilians attached to the armed forces and their spouse or dependent. Any military service voter, or any friend or relative acting on behalf of a military service voter, may apply to the County Clerk for an absentee ballot.

A voter may apply for an absentee ballot by completing an absentee ballot application and mailing the application to their County Clerk by mail up to 7 days prior to the election. A voter may also apply in person to the County Clerk until 3:00 p.m. the day before the election. The County Clerk cannot accept faxed copies of an absentee ballot application since an original signature is required.

Where to Vote:

By the Wednesday prior to the election, a sample ballot from the local election board is required to be mailed to each registered voter providing the location of the voter's polling place. If a voter does not receive a sample ballot, he or she may contact the municipal clerk or county election board to obtain locations of relevant polling places.

Voter Assistance at Polls:

Any voter who needs assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write, may be given assistance by a person of the voter's choice, other than the voter's employer or agent of that employer of officer or agent of the voter's union. Voters may also be aided, jointly, by two members of the polling location's district board who represent opposite political parties.

Reources

New Jersey Division of Elections  |  County Election Offices

Piscataway Democrats

"We want to make Piscataway...Even Better!"