News

County Clerk’s Office and Records Room Reopening to the Public Monday, June 8th

Posted on by CountyClerk

Mandatory Requirements and Standards for Admittance

  • All visitors must wear a mask at all times.
  • Please follow the recommended “6 feet apart” social distancing guidelines at all times.

In the Clerk’s Office:

  • A MAXIMUM of 3 customers allowed at any given time in the lobby. Please wait in the hall if the maximum capacity is met.

In the Records Room:

  • A MAXIMUM of 5 customers/professional title searchers (total) allowed at any given time.

Thank you for adhering to these requirements established to protect your health and the health of others.

Jeff Parrott
Sussex County Clerk

Passport Operations as of April 17, 2020

Posted on by CountyClerk

U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Passport Services

Because of public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Department of State has limited its U.S. passport operations. Our passport agencies are closed to the public and can only serve customers with a qualified life or death emergency and who need a passport for immediate international travel within 72 hours.

Customer can still apply at a passport acceptance facility for routine service only. However, Passport Services will not be able to meet its usual processing time of 6-8 weeks for routine service. Customers should expect significant delays beyond the time period it normally takes to receive their passport and citizenship evidence documents.

Passport Services ceased offering expedited service on March 19.

For the latest passport information on Passport Services operations, please visit our website at travel.state.gov or you can follow us at @travelgov on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We thank you for your patience and understanding!

CA/PPT/PMO/S/CS 4.17.20

Letter to Voters From County Clerk Jeff Parrott

Posted on by Angela Rosa

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, voting in NJ’s Primary Elections will look different this year. Here’s what voters need to know:

  1. Governor Murphy signed Executive Order No. 144 on May 15, 2020 which encourages voting by mail in the July 7, 2020 Primary Election.
  2. The order requires the County Clerk to send all Democratic and Republican registered voters a Vote-by-Mail Ballot for the upcoming July 7 election. Ballots will be mailed on or around June 12th.
  3. Unaffiliated registered voters will receive a special application to vote by mail from the County Clerk; if unaffiliated voters want to participate in the Primary Election they are encouraged to complete and return the application to the County Clerk, instructing the Clerk which party’s ballot they want mailed. These applications will be mailed out in mid-June.
  4. As per Executive Order No. 144, the Clerk’s Office is providing a postage paid envelope for the return of Vote By Mail Ballots.
  5. Voters who don’t want to mail their ballot can choose to:
    a) Hand deliver their ballot to the County Board of Elections; those ballots must be delivered to the board by 8 p.m. on Election Day; or
    b) Deposit their ballot in one of five secure drop boxes located throughout the county beginning June 16. The drop boxes will have daily pickups. The deadline to deposit your ballot in a drop box is 8 p.m. Election Day. Drop boxes will be available at:
    1. Vernon Township Municipal Building
    2. Hardyston Township Municipal Building
    3. Sparta Township Municipal Building
    4. Hopatcong Borough Municipal Building
    5. Newton Town Municipal Building
  6. Voters may not drop off their voted Mail-in Ballots at the polls on Election Day.
  7. Voters who go the polls on Election Day will be issued a Provisional Paper Ballot; only voters with disabilities will have access to ADA-accessible voting machines.
  8. The number of polling places available to voters on Election Day will be limited. A list of polling places is available at www.sussex.nj.us.
  9. Since polling places have been reduced, many voters will be assigned a new polling place just for the July 7 election. Normally, voters receive a sample ballot 1-2 weeks prior to Election Day letting them know where their polling place is located. For this July 7 election, instead of a sample ballot, voters will receive a postcard/notice in the mail letting them know where their polling place is and where they can view a sample ballot.
  10. The deadline of 3 p.m. July 6 to apply in person for a mail-in ballot is suspended. In-person applications will be accepted up to 8 p.m. July 7, 2020.

On behalf of the Sussex County Clerk’s Office, I thank you for your time and consideration. We know that this is a difficult time for most and that adjusting to change isn’t always easy — and there are a lot of changes in place for the July 7 Primary. I’m hoping the above information helps clarify things. Please know that my staff and I are here to meet your voting needs. If you have questions about voting by mail, I encourage you to call our office at 973-579-0900.

Sincerely,
Jeffrey M. Parrott
Sussex County Clerk

Electronic petitions to be made available for Referenda and Initiatives

Posted on by Angela Rosa

Governor Murphy signed Executive Order 132 on Apr. 29, 2020, requiring that:

  1. In addition to accepting hand delivery of initiative and referendum petitions, county clerks and municipal clerks shall allow for these petitions to be submitted electronically.
  2. The county clerks and municipal clerks shall also accept petitions with signatures collected via an online form. A generic template of this form shall be created by the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Department of Law and Public Safety. This form shall be available for use by May 1, 2020.
  3. Following the availability of the online template form, the county clerks and municipal clerks shall require that signatures be gathered via the online template form. Hand signatures obtained prior to the effective date of this Order shall also be accepted.

Notary Update 4/24/2020

Posted on by CountyClerk

We are aware that during this unprecedented time, one of the growing concerns is the expiration of notary commissions.  At this time we remain closed to the public, however, our office is strategizing  a way to ensure the safety of the public and employees while swearing in notaries so business can continue.  As we receive information or direction from the NJ Department of Treasury we will update our website.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office M-F between 8 and 4 p.m.

Sussex County Clerk’s Office
www.sussexcountyclerk.org
973-579-0900

Attention Notaries!

Posted on by Angela Rosa

If your notary public certificate is nearing expiration or just recently expired, and you are unable to be sworn in due to County Clerk closures statewide, please note that the State of New Jersey has notified us that there is pending legislation to address this matter. No details are available yet, but we will update this post as soon as information becomes available.

Governor Murphy Announces Postponement of June 2nd Primary Elections until July 7th

Posted on by CountyClerk

TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 120, postponing primary elections on Tuesday, June 2nd to Tuesday, July 7th in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  This includes primaries for President, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, the 25th District of the New Jersey Legislature, and county and municipal elections, as well as county committee elections.  Last month, Governor Murphy issued Executive Order No. 105, which delayed certain elections set to take place in March and April until May 12th.

“Preserving basic functions of our democracy is critical in this unprecedented time,” said Governor Murphy. “Citizens exercising their right to vote should not have to risk their safety and the safety of others in order to make their voices heard. Postponing our primary elections is a difficult, yet necessary, choice to ensure that our citizens can partake in their civic duty of voting.”

“Governor Murphy’s decision to move New Jersey’s primary election to July 7, 2020 will provide our state, county, and local election officials with the time we need to prepare for a free, fair, and safe election for New Jersey voters.” said Secretary of State Tahesha Way.

The Order also states that all deadlines for meeting statutory requirements for a primary election that are currently scheduled to occur after April 11 will be calculated using the July 7, 2020 primary election date.  This would not affect any deadlines that 1) have already passed, such as the filing deadline for candidate petitions for the primary election, or 2) will pass prior to April 11.  The only exception is the deadline for change of party affiliation declaration forms to be filed, which is currently scheduled for April 8 and will move to May 13.

Additionally, independent candidate petitions will be due by 4:00 p.m. on July 7, 2020, and the electronic signature and submission requirements that were set forth in Executive Order No. 105 for primary candidates will be extended to these independent candidate petitions.

Election rules have been modified during prior emergencies, including by Governor Kean in 1982 during a severe winter storm and by the Christie Administration in 2012 in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

Copy of Executive Order 120

SBA Loans Available To Help Small Businesses

Posted on by Angela Rosa

Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Loan Advance

To apply for a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan, click here.

In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, small business owners in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories are eligible to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan advance of up to $10,000.

The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing. The loan advance will provide economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. Funds will be made available within three days of a successful application, and this loan advance will not have to be repaid.

To APPLY… https://covid19relief.sba.gov/#/