Somerset County General Election Guide

[FWCC Somerset received following notice via email on September 22. We are relaying the message in its entirety.]

COUNTY CLERK RELEASES STEP-BY-STEP VOTE BY MAIL TUTORIALS

Clerk Steve Peter Encourages Voters to Carefully Fill Out and Submit Ballots to Ensure Their Vote is Counted.

Post Date: 09/21/2020 11:39 AM

SOMERVILLE, NJ – Somerset County Clerk Steve Peter releases online video and photo tutorials to assist voters participating in the 2020 General Election being held on November 3, 2020. The election will be conducted primarily through Vote by Mail ballots, which will be delivered to every active voter in Somerset County, and the Clerk’s office is working to ensure all voters have the information they need to properly fill out and submit their ballots.

“We want to be sure that every Somerset County voter has the tools they need to participate in this unprecedented election,” said Peter. “These tutorials walk voters through each step of filling out the ballot, ensuring their anonymous vote, and certifying their vote on the envelopes to ensure they are counted.”

The video tutorials feature Peter filling out a sample ballot in both English and Spanish, with subtitles. The photo tutorial is a quick and simple way to click through the process, and see exactly how the ballots should be filled out. 

“Vote by Mail has been used in Somerset County for a long time, but many voters who will be using the process this year are unfamiliar with this kind of ballot,” said Peter. “Every voter deserves to have their ballot counted, and their voice heard. These tutorials are our effort to help voters avoid any technical errors that could delay their vote being counted, or even invalidate their ballot.”

Ballots will be mailed out to every active registered voter in Somerset County from the Clerk’s Office starting the middle of this week through October 5.  If any voter has not received a ballot by October 10, they should call the Clerk’s Office at 908-231-7013 to determine if there is an issue.

Residents can check if they are an active registered voter by visiting the Secretary of State’s site at https://voter.svrs.nj.gov/registration-check or calling the Somerset County Board of Elections at (908) 231-7084. If you discover you are not considered an active voter, you can register online at https://voter.svrs.nj.gov/registration-check or with a paper form available at https://www.co.somerset.nj.us/government/affiliated-agencies/election-board/voter-information

Inactive voters can update their voter registration up to Election Day, November 3, to be eligible to vote with a Vote by Mail ballot. Inactive voters can also visit their assigned polling location on Election Day and vote using a paper provisional ballot. 

Somerset County residents who are registering for the first time must register by October 13 to be eligible to vote in the 2020 General Election. Anyone who does so will be automatically sent a Vote by Mail ballot. 

More information on how Somerset County voters can participate in the 2020 General Election is available at https://www.co.somerset.nj.us/2020general .