League Provides Essential Primary Election Details for Voters

The League of Women Voters of Northern Valley (LWVNV) reminds the public of several changes to the upcoming July 7 Primary Election. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this election will be conducted primarily through vote-by-mail ballots with limited in-person voting options available.

Vote-by-mail ballots were automatically sent to all active registered Republican and Democratic voters. All unaffiliated voters and inactive Republican and Democratic voters will receive a vote-by-mail application. Both the ballot and application will have pre-paid postage. The deadline to apply by mail to receive a mail-in ballot is June 30. The Bergen County Clerk must receive mailed applications by that date. Vote-by-mail applications for the July 7 Primary Election may be downloaded. Voters may also apply in-person to the County Clerk for a mail-in ballot by July 7, before 8:00 p.m.

Each vote-by-mail ballot comes with instructions in English, Spanish, and Korean to complete the ballot. The Bergen County Clerk's Office also created an online step-by-step instructional tutorial about how to complete the vote-by-mail ballot in the July 7th Primary Election that may be viewed online. For information, call 201-336-6100.

To the extent possible, at least five readily accessible secure ballot drop box locations in Bergen County will be available for a voter to submit the completed vote-by-mail ballot. Voters, who submit their vote-by-mail ballot using a drop-box, must return the ballot on or before July 7, prior to 8:00 p.m. The vote by mail ballot may also be returned in-person to the Bergen County Board of Elections by 8:00 pm on July 7. Voters may also return the vote-by-mail ballot by placing it in their mailbox using the U.S. Postal Service. The ballot must be postmarked on or before July 7 and received by the Board of Elections by 8:00 p.m. on July 14 to be considered valid.

Each municipality will have a minimum of one polling location available and Bergen County will open a minimum of 50% of its polling places, provided sufficient poll workers are available. Polling place locations were announced on June 15 and voters will receive a mailed notification of polling locations. Voters will not receive sample ballots.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines for polling place safety and sanitation will be followed. Voters who vote at polling locations will use a paper provisional ballot. Voters with disabilities may vote on ADA accessible voting machines. Voters cannot return voted vote-by-mail ballots to polling places.

Vote411.org

The League of Women Voters of Northern Valley encourages active and informed participation in our country's democracy. "For helpful information about voting, we recommend voters visit VOTE411.org, a 'one-stop-shop' for election related material. This voter educational toolkit provides nonpartisan information to the public with both general and state-specific details about the election process with electronic voters guides about the candidates running in the Primary Election," said Joyce Luhrs, Vice President of Marketing, League of Women Voters of Northern Valley.

Voters should pay close attention to election changes and deadlines to ensure their voices are heard and their votes count. For further updates, visit the League of Women Voters of New Jersey online for more election information.

For more information about the League of Women Voters of Northern Valley, contact lwvno.valley@gmail.com. Learn more about the chapter on its webpage. Updates are posted on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.