Burlington County Sends Out Ballots, Adds Voting Safeguards

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — The Burlington County Clerk’s Office has started sending out Vote-By-Mail ballots for the Nov. 3 elections, and the county is taking additional steps to prevent printing mistakes and sorting errors, officials announced.

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 began mailing the ballots and return envelopes to voters today and anticipates they will begin arriving in voters’ mailboxes later this week.

A ballot was automatically sent to every registered voter, regardless of whether they requested one this year or in the past, officials said.

“We printed enough ballots for all registered voters plus extras to ensure there are enough available for those who register between now and the Oct. 13 voter registration deadline or for any voters who lose or damage their ballot,” Burlington County Clerk Joanne Schwartz said.

To request a replacement ballot, call the Clerk’s Office at 609-265-5229. Voters who have not received a ballot by Oct. 13 should also contact the clerk.

The county has also taken additional precautions to guard against printing mistakes and mailing errors, including assigning a staff member to be present in the election warehouse at all times that ballots are being assembled and sorted.

It also took steps to ensure the correct number of ballots are prepared and mailed. It is also ensuring that each envelope contains a ballot, instructions letter and postage paid return envelope. Each town’s ballots were also sorted, packaged and mailed separately in order to guard against errors.

“We’re proactively putting these safeguards in place to make sure every registered voter gets the correct ballot, instructions and return envelope,” Schwartz said. “This may be a different election than voters are accustomed to, but we’re taking all possible actions to ensure they can vote safely and securely.”

There are several different ways voters can cast their votes this year, including the mail, secure drop boxes or by bringing them to the Board of Elections Office in Mount Holly or to their assigned polling locations on Election Day.

Accommodations will also be available for voters with disabilities, including machine voting for those unable to complete and sign a Vote-by-Mail or provisional ballot, officials said.

“We’ve heard from constituents anxious or confused about how they will be able to vote and whether the process will be secure,” Burlington County Board Director Felicia Hopson said. “I’m pleased by the actions taken by the Clerk’s Office to ensure that every registered voter receives their correct ballot and that they will have multiple options to submit their ballot and ensure their vote is counted.”

For more information on how to vote and track your ballot, visit nj.gov/state/elections/vote.shtml or www.co.burlington.nj.us/192/County-Clerk.