Somerset County Government: Somerset County Board Of Elections Releases Step-By-Step Early Voting Video To Help Voters With New Machines

Press release from the Somerset County Government:

10/20/2021 3:06 PM

For the First Time, In-Person Voting Will Be Available Before Election Day at Six Locations in Somerset County

SOMERVILLE, NJ – Somerset County residents will be able to vote in-person before Election Day for the first time in 2021, with six polling places open for nine days from October 23rd to October 31st. The Somerset County Board of Elections is utilizing new ExpressXL voting machines and electronic polling books for early voting and produced a video to help voters navigate the new technology.

“Voting on the new machines during the early voting period will seem familiar, but with added protections such as the electronic poll book and a paper ballot that can be used in future audits,” said Board of Elections Administrator Jerry Midgette. “To be sure that early voting goes as smoothly as possible, we provided this video for our voters.”

The video and extensive election information is available at http://soconj.gov/elec2021. Anyone with election questions can also call the Somerset County Election Hotline at (908) 541-5000 weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for election assistance or information.

Somerset County’s early voting locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day, except Sundays when they will close at 6 p.m. Unlike on Election Day, November 2, Somerset County residents who have not requested a mail-in ballot can vote early at their choice of these six locations:

• Bridgewater - Municipal Court, 100 Commons Way, Bridgewater NJ
• Franklin - Community Center, 505 DeMott Lane, Somerset, NJ
• Hillsborough - Municipal Building, 379 South Branch Road, Hillsborough NJ
• Montgomery - Municipal Building, 2261 Route 206, Belle Mead, NJ
• North Plainfield - North Plainfield Community Center, 614 Greenbrook Road
• Warren - Warren Municipal Court, 44 Mountain Blvd, Warren NJ

The ExpressXL voting machines will only be available during early voting. On Election Day, November 2nd, the Board of Elections will return to using its previous voting machines. However, the electronic poll books will still be used on Election Day.

While there are three methods for voting this year – mail-in ballot, early voting, or on Election Day – it is important to note that once a vote is cast in any manner it cannot be amended or changed. Additionally, voters who have requested a mail-in ballot must vote by mail and will not be permitted to vote in person on a machine on Election Day.

Voters who have requested a mail-in ballot but are not currently living at their primary address for any reason including being displaced by Hurricane Ida should reach out to the Somerset County Clerk at (908) 231-7013 to provide an address to mail a replacement ballot. For election security, the United States Post Office will not forward mail-in ballots.

Other important dates for this election include:

• October 26 – Last day to apply for mail-in ballot via the US Postal Service
• November 1 at 3 p.m. – Last day to request a mail-in ballot in person at Somerset County Clerk Steve Peter’s office, 20 Grove Street, Somerset County
• November 2 – Election Day polling places will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for in-person voting. Mail-in ballots must be placed in a drop box, presented to the Board of Elections at 20 Grove Street in Somerville, or postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day or they will not be counted.

To stay up to date with Somerset County events and information, sign up for free email alerts at www.co.somerset.nj.us/subscribe or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This press release was produced by the Somerset County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.