Burlington County Finds Error In Vote-By-Mail Envelopes

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Burlington County officials are urging residents who have received their vote-by-mail ballots to double-check the contents of their delivery after a printer error was detected in the envelopes used to deliver the ballots.

Some envelopes were ineffectively sealed because the county’s vendor used the wrong envelopes while preparing the ballots, according to Burlington County Clerk Joanne Schwartz.

While officials have corrected the problem, an initial batch of ballots were mailed to voters in Evesham, Willingboro and Lumberton before the error was discovered, Schwartz said. As a result, some envelopes may have come open while they were being mailed out.

If any ballot envelopes arrive and appear opened, voters should check to make sure they contain a ballot, an instructions letter, certified ballot envelope and a prepaid postage return envelope, officials advised.

“Voters should know that the integrity of their ballots themselves are not in question and our office has responded quickly to remedy the situation. However, in the interest of full transparency, we want voters to know about the situation and that remedies are available for any voter who is not completely confident,” Schwartz said. “Any voters concerned about a ballot with a defective seal can request a replacement Vote-by-Mail ballot or can vote provisionally at their assigned polling place.”

Earlier this week, the Burlington County Clerk’s Office started sending out Vote-By-Mail ballots for the Nov. 3 elections. More than 315,000 Vote-by-Mail ballots were printed for the general election, which is being conducted largely with VBM ballots due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The county has also taken additional safeguards to protect the integrity of the process, including safeguards to confirm that each voter casts only one ballot and that they do not vote by mail and in-person. Read more here: Burlington County Sends Out Ballots, Adds Voting Safeguards

“The election is the foremost priority of my office, and we will not rest until every voter can be assured that their ballot is secure and that their ability to vote is not in jeopardy,” Schwartz said.

A new email address, votebymail@co.burlington.nj.us, was created specifically for voters to contact the Clerk’s Office with any questions or concerns about their Vote-by-Mail ballots. The Clerk’s Office can be reached directly by phone at 609-265-5229.