No Electioneering Zone Expanded To 200 Feet At Polls, Drop Boxes In Somerset County

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — Somerset County voters will see a wider no-electioneering buffer around polling places and ballot drop boxes starting Friday.

The Somerset County Board of Elections is extending the zone from the current 100 feet to 200 feet.

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The new 200-foot zone will apply to all poll locations and drop box locations across the county.

The change affects the space around sites where voters go to cast ballots or use ballot drop boxes.

Election Administrator Jerry Midgette said the larger area is intended to give voters more space free from campaign activity as they approach voting locations.

"The extension to the No Electioneering Zone will provide voters with a larger area in which to be free from campaign operatives and materials while going to cast their ballots," said Election Administrator Jerry Midgette.

Midgette also said the county expects the larger zone to reduce possible interruptions near voting sites.

"It is anticipated that doubling the buffer zone around our poll locations and ballot drop boxes will minimize any potential disruption to our voting process. New Jersey Election Laws were amended in July of 2025, giving each County Board of Elections discretion to extend the No Electioneering Zone."

The announcement ties the local move to a change in state law made in July 2025.

Under that amendment, each county Board of Elections has discretion to extend the no electioneering zone.

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