Step 1: Check Your Voting Status

Don't know if you're registered to vote? Need to know if you're registered to automatically recieve vote-by-mail status? You can search your name and voter record through the state on their online election website. 

If you voted by mail in a previous election but now want to vote in-person, see scenario 4 at the FAQ's section before proceeding with step 3.

Step 2: If Not Registered, Register to Vote

Registration Deadline (for the 2024 General Elections): October 15, 2024

New Jersey allows you to register either online or in-person. All you will need is either an NJMVC-issued Driver's License/Identification Card or your Social Security Number. Once you submitted your application, check back with step one to see when your application has been approved.

Step 3: Vote for This Year's Election

Deadline (for the 2024 General Elections): November 5, 2024

Congratulations! You are now eligble to vote in New Jersey. There are three primary ways to vote: in-person voting on election day, early in-person voting, or vote-by-mail. Unless you are a military/overseas voter, you can choose any of these methods. Look below to see which one suits you best.

Method 1: In-Person Voting on Election Day

Time Period (for the 2024 Primary Elections): November 5, 2024

Every citizen is assigned to a specific voting place based on their home address. The state has an online tool to help you find which place you are assigned to. If you previously voted by mail and requested to receive mail ballots in all future elections, but you want to vote in-person for this election, see scenario 4 at the bottom of this page.

You will only need to present identification (license, passport, bank statement, utility bill, etc.) if you did not provide identification when you registered to vote. Remember to vote in the polling place you are assigned to. 

As long as you are in line when polling places close at 8:00pm, you will be able to vote. In extenuating circumstances, County Clerks may extend the deadline to vote in certain locations. They will publish those changes in their social media, found at the bottom of this page. However, don't rely on those events happening.

Method 2: Early In-Person Voting

Time Period (for the 2024 General Elections): October 26 to November 3, 2024

New Jersey recently passed legislation to implement early in-person voting in every election cycle. So long as you are registered to vote, you can walk in to an early-voting polling location and vote. If you previously voted by mail and requested to receive mail ballots in all future elections, but you want to vote in-person for this election, see scenario 4 at the bottom of this page.

Hours of Operation: 

You will only need to present identification (license, passport, bank statement, utility bill, etc.) if you did not provide identification when you registered to vote. Remember to vote only in the county you live in.

Method 3: Vote-By-Mail

Time Period (for the 2024 General Elections): Now until October 29 or November 4, 2024

If you did not previously request to automatically receive ballots by mail in every election, you will need to request a vote-by-mail ballot by printing an online PDF from the state. Afterwards, the application should be sent to the appropriate county clerk, either in-person or through mail (if you're a military/overseas voter, see scenario 1).

Once you submitted the application, you should receive a vote-by-mail ballot in a timely manner. If that is not the case, go to the bottom of this page to contact your County Clerk. You can watch our video on filling out a vote-by-mail ballot. After completion, you can submit it by:

Regardless of the method you take, you must mail/drop/deliver the ballot by 8:00pm on election day. The state allows you to track your ballot's delivery to your county's Board of Elections office.

FAQ's on Voting in New Jersey

Scenario 1: I Am a Military/Overseas Voter

New Jersey has devised a seperate process for voting if you have residence in New Jersey but you are currently in the military or not in the United States during the voting period. You will still need to complete steps 1 and 2. For step 3, you must request a mail-in ballot, but you can request that the ballot be sent via mail, fax, or e-mail. To do so, you should provide your address, fax number, or e-mail address and send your application through the method that you want your ballot to be sent. We recommend you submit an application as soon as possible regardless of the method submitted. 

The ballot deadlines remain the same: the ballot must be postmarked, faxxed, or e-mailed by 8:00pm on election day and recieved by 8:00pm six days after election day.

Scenario 2: I Moved Since the Last Election

If you moved within your county, contact your County Commissioner of Registration or Board of Elections about your address change. Make sure you address the issue before you vote in the next election, or else you may have to vote with a provisional ballot.

If you moved from out-of-county or out-of-state, you will need to submit a new voter registration application for New Jersey. Make sure that you are not registered as a voter in your previous location.

Scenario 3: I Am an "Inactive Voter"

You are deemed an inactive voter by New Jersey if the county cannot find your address deliverable or if it believes you have moved out of the county. Afterwards, the county will send you a notice that you have until the second federal general election from when the notice was sent to be put back into "active" status. Otherwise, the county will remove you from the voter rolls. 

If you are within that time frame, you can either vote in-person in the next election and fill out necessary forms or submit a new voter registration form (see step 2).

Scenario 4: I Voted by Mail Last Election, but Now I Want to Vote In-Person

Depending on what you filled out the last time you voted by mail, you may not have to do anything. Go to "Track My Ballot" in New Jersey's online voter record. 

If you are not registered to vote by mail, you can vote in-person without any issue. If you are registered, you will need to opt-out. You can do so by scrolling to the bottom of this page and finding your County Clerk. Contact them and they will remove you from automatically recieving vote-by-mail ballots in future elections.

Additional Questions/Concerns?

We have compiled the contact list below for the County Clerks and Board of Elections offices for Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset counties. Additionally, you can use LWVNJ's voter hotline service for assistance.

LWVNJ Voter Hotline

Managed by the League of Women Voters Education Fund

+1 (800) 792-VOTE (8683)

Mercer County

Superintendent of Elections/Commissioner of Registration
Walker M. Worthy Jr.
Address: 640 South Broad Street, PO Box 8068, Trenton, NJ 08650
Office Hours: 8:00am-4:00pm
609-989-6750 (FAX) 609-989-6888
Website: https://www.mercercounty.org/departments/superintendent-of-elections 

County Clerk
Paula Sollami-Covello
Address: 209 South Broad Street, PO Box 8068, Trenton, NJ 08650
Office Hours: 8:30am-4:30pm
609-989-6494 (FAX) 609-394-8785
Website: https://www.mercercounty.org/government/county-clerk
Social Media: https://www.twitter.com/MercerClerk

Board of Elections
Address: 930 Spruce Street, Lawrence, NJ 08648
Office Hours: 8:30am-4:30pm
609-989-6522 (FAX) 609-278-2713
Website: https://www.mercercounty.org/boards-commissions/board-of-elections 

Middlesex County

County Clerk
Nancy J. Pinkin
Address: 26 Kennedy Boulevard, Suite B, East Brunswick, NJ 08816
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1110, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-9925
Office Hours: 8:30am-4:10pm
732-745-4202 (FAX) 732-745-2170
Website: https://www.middlesexcountynj.gov/government/departments/department-of-community-services/office-of-county-clerk
Social Media: https://twitter.com/nancypinkin

Board of Elections
Address: 26 Kennedy Boulevard, Suite B, East Brunswick, NJ 08816-1250
Office Hours: 8:30am-4:15pm, Tues: 8:00am-6:30pm
732-745-3471 (FAX) 732-296-6560
Website: https://www.middlesexcountynj.gov/government/departments/department-of-community-services/board-of-elections 

Somerset County

County Clerk
Steve Peter
Address: 20 Grove Street, P.O. Box 3000, Somerville, NJ 08876-1262
Office Hours: 8:15am-4:00pm
908-231-7013 (FAX) 908-575-3930
Website: https://www.co.somerset.nj.us/government/elected-officials/county-clerk
Social Media: https://twitter.com/SCClerkNJ 

Board of Elections
Address: Administration Building, 20 Grove Street, P.O. Box 3000, Somerville, NJ 08876-1262
Office Hours: 8:30am-4:00pm
908-231-7084 (FAX) 908-231-9465
Website: https://www.co.somerset.nj.us/government/affiliated-agencies/election-board