News

Sussex County Ballot Drop Box Locations

Posted on by Angela Rosa

  1. Andover Borough Municipal Building
  2. Andover Township Municipal Building
  3. Frankford Township Municipal Building
  4. Franklin Borough Municipal Building
  5. Fredon Township Civic Center
  6. Hardyston Township Municipal Building
  7. Hopatcong Borough Municipal Building
  8. Montague Township Municipal Building
  9. Newton Municipal Building
  10. Sandyston Township Municipal Building
  11. Sparta Township Municipal Building
  12. Vernon Township Municipal Building
  13. Wantage Township Municipal Building

The ballot boxes will be monitored (security camera surveillance) and will have daily pickups by the County Board of Elections.

County Clerk extends hours for in-person voting

Posted on by CountyClerk

County Clerk Jeff Parrott announced that his office will be open extended hours on  Saturday, July 4th from 9 a.m. to noon to accommodate in-person voting.  The Board of Elections will be in to receive voted ballots during those hours as well.

While it’s too late for the Clerk’s Office to mail ballots to voters after June 30th, anyone who did not already receive a mail-in ballot or who won’t be able to make it to the polls on Election Day can still apply for a ballot in person at the Clerk’s Office during regular office hours up through July 7th.

Voters applying in person need to wear a mask and must maintain social distancing once they arrive.

The County Clerk’s Office is located on the main floor of the Cochran House Building at 83 Spring Street in Newton, Suite 304, accessible from either Spring Street (front entrance) or Trinity Street (rear entrance). More information about voting can be obtained by calling 973-579-0900 or by visiting the Clerk’s Website at www.sussexcountyclerk.org.

June 11 Primary Election Update

Posted on by CountyClerk

Sussex County Clerk Jeff Parrott announced on Thursday that Vote-By-Mail (VBM) ballots for this year’s Primary Elections are being mailed this week to all registered Democrats and Republicans in compliance with Governor Murphy’s Executive Order #144. Voters who register after the initial mailing but before June 17 will also be mailed a ballot. Also under EO#144, Unaffiliated voters will be mailed a special Vote-By-Mail application for one-time use in this election; the application requires the voter to declare a party in order to be mailed a ballot. The applications will be mailed out beginning June 12. Unaffiliated voters need to complete and return this special EO#144 Application even if they already applied for a mail-in ballot using the standard application.

Voters who regularly vote by mail will notice that their Mail-In Ballot has a new look. “The ballot materials were redesigned to help simplify voting by mail,” said Parrott. “The voter has less to fill out and instructions are clear and easy to follow.”

When voters receive the VBM ballot, they should read the instructions provided and then vote their ballot using blue or black ink, and submit it right away in one of the following ways:

  1. Mail it in the postage-paid return envelope provided;
  2. Hand-deliver it to the County Board of Elections at 83 Spring Street, Suite 305 in Newton; or
  3. Deposit it in one of the secure/surveilled Ballot Drop Boxes that will be located at:
    a) Hardyston Township Municipal Building
    b) Hopatcong Borough Municipal Building
    c) Newton Town Municipal Building
    d) Sparta Township Municipal Building
    e) Vernon Township Municipal Building

Polling places for this year’s Primary elections are limited, so voters may be assigned a new polling place for July 7. There will be no sample ballots mailed this year. Instead of sample ballots, voters will receive a postcard in the mail from the County Clerk with the location of their designated polling location should they choose to go to the polls and vote via provisional paper ballot. The postcards will be mailed the week after the close of voter registration, which is June 16th.

The list of available polling locations in Sussex County is posted to the County Clerk’s website at www.sussexcountyclerk.org/elections. 

Voters who go to a polling location on July 7 will vote a provisional paper ballot. Voters with disabilities should call the County Clerk’s Office for an accessible ballot, or may choose to vote an audio ballot on an ADA-accessible voting machine at their assigned polling location.

Election-related deadlines are as follows:

  • Final day to register to vote in time for the Primary Election: June 16
  • Deadline for unaffiliated voters to APPLY by Mail for Primary Election Vote By Mail ballot:  June 30
  • Deadline for a walk-in to obtain a vote-by-mail ballot from the County Clerk: July 7
  • Primary Election Day: July 7, polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
  • Deadline to mail/postmark or drop off a VBM ballot – July 7 at 8 p.m.

Voters who have questions about voting by mail in the July 7, 2020 primary elections are encouraged to call the County Clerk’s Office at 973-579-0900. Voters with questions about party affiliation, voter registration status, polling place assignment or drop box locations should contact the County Board of Elections at 973-579-0950.

For the July 7 Elections, Unaffiliated Voters Must Declare a Party on their Vote By Mail Application

Posted on by Angela Rosa

Unaffiliated registered voters in New Jersey are all going to receive an Application To Vote By Mail from their County Clerk.

The application mailed by your County Clerk was designed by the NJ Division of Elections under Executive Order #144 and is specific to the July 7, 2020 Primary Elections. If you are an unaffiliated voter and you want to vote by mail in the July 7 Primary, you need to complete and return this EO#144 application as soon as possible — EVEN IF YOU ALREADY submitted a regular Vote By Mail Ballot Application. The regular application used to request a mail-in ballot cannot be used for the July 7 primaries. The EO#144 application will not cost the voter anything to mail, it comes in the form a prepaid postage mailer.

Under normal conditions, unaffiliated voters could apply for a Vote By Mail Ballot and not declare a party choice.

However, the July 7 Primary Elections are not being conducted under normal conditions. On May 15, 2020 Governor Murphy issued Executive Order #144 which stipulated in part that unaffiliated voters would be mailed a special Vote By Mail Application by their County Clerk. This special application only applies to the July 7 primary. The application requires that the voter declare a party in advance of being mailed their ballot, so that only one ballot is mailed. So, if you are unaffiliated and want to receive a mail-in ballot, you MUST complete and return the Special Application issued under Executive Order #144 in order to receive a ballot by mail.

The application to vote by mail under Executive Order #144 is a one-time request specific to the July 7 Primaries; you will not be required to vote by mail in future elections.

Unaffiliated voters who do not receive a mail-in ballot can vote a provisional paper ballot at their assigned polling place on Election Day.