On August 10, 2018, new legislation went into effect that changes the options voters have when voting by mail, AND, IMPORTANTLY, changes the way SOME voters have been assigned to vote in future elections. If you voted by mail in the 2016 General Election, the new law has assigned you to be a “Vote-By-Mail Voter” — unless you notify your county clerk in writing that you want to be removed from the permanent vote-by-mail list.
A law signed by Governor Murphy on August 10, 2018 mandates that any voter who requested and received a Vote By Mail Ballot for the 2016 General Election be put on a list to automatically receive Vote By Mail ballots for all future elections, beginning with the upcoming November 6 General Election.
2016 Voters who fall into this category but do not wish to receive mail-in ballots for every election in the future will be able to “opt out” by notifying the County Clerk in writing that they no longer wish to receive Vote By Mail ballots for all future elections. These voters still have the option of Voting By Mail in any election of their choosing, but will have to submit an application for a Vote By Mail Ballot whenever they choose to do so.
There is no longer an option to request mail-in ballots for the calendar year, or to request mail-in ballots for all General Elections only. The two options now offered in NJ are:
- Vote by mail in ALL FUTURE ELECTIONS (which means you are no longer eligible to vote on the voting machines at the polls); or
- Request a mail-in ballot for a SINGLE election whenever you wish to vote by mail.
Click here to download the updated Application For Vote By Mail Ballot. Click here for answers to popular questions about how the new law affects voters.