2020 Primary: How To Vote In Wayne

WAYNE, NJ — If you've never voted by mail before, 2020 might just be the year.

COVID-19 has delayed this year's election to July 7, closed polls and forced the state into a "primarily" vote-by-mail approach to casting your ballot.

"Our goals are twofold," Gov. Phil Murphy said when he made the announcement in May. "To maximize our democracy while minimizing the risk of illness. We want everyone to participate in a safe, fully democratic process."

Murphy also said that there will be polling places open in every municipality to ensure that everyone can exercise their right to vote and at least 50 percent of the normal locations per county.

He added that voters who have not been able to seamlessly transition to a mail-in process, like those with a disability, will be kept safe when they cast their vote.

"Social distancing protocols will be enforced within these polling locations including the sanitizing of every touch screen, voting machine in between voters," he said.

The Process

All registered Democratic and Republican voters will automatically receive a postage paid vote-by-mail ballot while all unaffiliated and inactive voters will automatically receive a postage paid vote-by-mail application. Those ballots can be sent back by mail or dropped in one of the boxes.

Passaic County Clerk Danielle Ireland-Imhof participated in an "Ask A Clerk" segment recently, to answer some questions related to how the 2020 primary would work.

Vote-By-Mail Drop Boxes:

Not every Passaic County municipality has a drop box, but there are five sprinkled across the county, including in Wayne.

• Township of Wayne Municipal Complex, 475 Valley Rd., Wayne
• City of Clifton Municipal Complex, 900 Clifton Ave., Clifton
• City of Passaic Municipal Complex, 330 Passaic St., Passaic
• County of Passaic Administration Building at the corner of Clark Street and De Grasse Street, Paterson
• Borough of Ringwood Municipal Complex, 60 Margaret King Ave., Ringwood