Know Your Voting Rights

If you have any questions about voting or encounter any problems,

call 1-800-792-VOTE (8683) for assistance. 

You can REGISTER to vote if:

• You are a U.S. citizen, you are currently at least 17 years of age (understanding you may not vote before your 18th birthday), and you have been a resident of a New Jersey county for at least 30 days before the election. 

• A court has not specifically determined that you lack the mental capacity to understand the act of voting. (Note: A guardianship order or placement in a mental hospital that does specifically revoke your voting rights is not enough.) 

• You are not in prison, on probation or on parole for a felony conviction. Your right to vote is restored once you complete your sentence, probation and parole, but you must re-register to vote, even if you were a registered voter before your conviction. (Note: If you're serving time for a misdemeanor or civil matter, you can still vote! You have the right to register to vote and to vote from jail using a Vote-By-Mail ballot.) 

You have the right to register at the address considered your primary address. If you are a college student, it can be a dorm, off-campus address, or a home address. If you are homeless, it can be a shelter, park, or any place you usually stay.

Print a postage-paid voter registration application at www.lwvnj.org. There is no fee or cost for registering to vote. If you do not have access to a printer, call our Voter Hotline at 1-800-792-VOTE (8683) or email us at contact@lwvnj.org and we will mail you an application.

On Election Day, you have the RIGHT to:

• Vote if you registered by the voter registration deadline. 

• Vote without intimidation, threats, coercion, or interference. 

• Bring your children into the voting booth with you. 

• Bring someone of your choice into the voting booth to assist you if you cannot read or write English or have a disability. 

• Request special assistance from a poll worker. 

• Vote by an emergency paper ballot if the machines are malfunctioning. 

• Vote under your original name if you have changed your name since registering to vote. 

• Vote if you were in line to vote by the close of polls, which is 8pm in New Jersey. 

• Vote by provisional ballot if you are not allowed to vote on a machine or by emergency ballot, with written instructions about your provisional ballot and how to find out if it was counted. Your eligibility to vote must be verified by the county before your provisional ballot is counted. 

POLLS ARE OPEN FROM 6:00AM – 8:00PM ON ELECTION DAY!

If you are not allowed to vote, you have the right to go before an Election Judge on Election Day, who will then determine your eligibility to vote. If you intend to appear before an election judge, call our Voter Hotline : 1-800-792-VOTE.

If your right to vote is challenged by an official challenger, ask the poll worker for an affidavit, which you will sign to confirm your identity or address. The poll worker will then allow you to vote either on the machine or by a provisional ballot.

You have the right to vote by PROVISIONAL BALLOT if:

• You believe you are entitled to vote, but your name is not on the poll list of voters. 

• You have moved recently within your county, but have not registered at your new address. 

• You are a first-time voter who you did not provide the accepted form of ID when you registered to vote, and you did not bring your ID to your polling location on Election Day. You must bring acceptable ID to the appropriate county office within 48 hours of voting for your provisional ballot to be counted. Poll workers must give you a form that tells you where to bring your ID. 

• You requested or received a vote by mail ballot, but did not receive it or did not use it to vote. 

If you feel you are wrongly made to vote on a provisional ballot, rather than on the machine, you have the right to present your case to an Election Judge on Election Day, who will then determine your eligibility to vote. If you intend to appear before an election judge, call our Voter Hotline at 1-800-792-VOTE (8683) for assistance.

REPORT A PROBLEM at the polls if:

• Your polling location is not open or not accessible when you arrive. 

• You are dissatisfied with the way the election is being run (You can file a signed or anonymous written complaint either at your polling place, by mail, telephone, or online). 

• You encounter any other problems at the polls, such as untrained poll workers, intimidation, issues with machines, or long lines. Call our hotline at 1-800-792-VOTE (8683).

• If you experience voter intimidation (a federal crime), such as aggressive questioning about your citizenship status, criminal recor, or voting record, you can report it to the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).