TOMS RIVER – There are 17 drop boxes available in Ocean County to bring your completed ballot to.
Officials of the state recently released a complete list of locations of where secure drop boxes are for use during this year’s mail-in general election on November 3.
The 17 drop boxes are spread out throughout the county and several are already available for depositing completed ballots, which are collected by the Ocean County Board of Elections on a daily basis.
Cameras have been installed to monitor the boxes on 24 hour/seven day a week basis. Once you return your ballot, a voter will have the ability to track their ballot online through the state Division of Elections.
Considering the ongoing COVID -19 pandemic, Governor Phil Murphy signed P.L. 2020, c. 72 which requires County Clerks to send all active registered voters a vote by mail ballot for the November 3, 2020 General Election.
Ocean County Clerk Scott Colabella said mail-in ballots are being sent to active registered voters.
Those who have not yet registered to vote have until October 13 to do so and can register in person at the Ocean County Clerk’s office located at the Ocean County Courthouse at 118 Washington St.
According to the state Division of Elections drop boxes are already available at the following locations and towns.
Barnegat: Ocean County Library branch, 112 Burr St., Barnegat
Beachwood: Ocean County Library branch, 126 Beachwood Blvd., Beachwood
Berkeley: Ocean County Library branch, 30 Station Road, Bayville
Brick: Brick Township Municipal Building, 401 Chambers Bridge Road
Jackson: Ocean County Library branch, 2 Jackson Dr., Jackson
Lacey: Ocean County Library branch, 10 East Lacey Road, Lacey
Lakewood: Ocean County Resource Center, 225 4th S.,
Lavallette: Ocean County Library Upper Shores branch, 112 Jersey City Ave., Lavallette
Little Egg Harbor: Ocean County Library branch, 290 Mathistown Road, Little Egg Harbor
Manchester (Whiting section): branch of the Ocean County Library at 400 Lacey Road,
next to Stop & Shop)
Manchester: Manchester Branch of the Ocean County Library, 21 Colonial Dr.
Point Pleasant Borough: branch of the Ocean County Library, 834 Beaver Dam Road, Point Pleasant
Stafford: Ocean County Southern Service Center, 179 South Main St., Manahawkin
Surf City: at the Long Beach Island branch of the Ocean County Library, 217 South Central Ave., Surf City
Toms River: Ocean County Library headquarters branch, 101 Washington St., Toms River (Drop box will be outside of Mancini Room)
Toms River: Ocean County PIC Building, 1959 Route 9, Toms River
Toms River: Ocean County Parking Garage, Madison Avenue
There are several options available to voters during the 2020 general election:
Fill out the postage-paid Vote-by-Mail ballot you receive and return it by mail to the Board of Elections via the U.S. Postal Service; by delivering it in person to Board of Elections, by delivering it in person at your polling place on Election Day or dropping off your ballot in one of the secure ballott drop boxes.
There will be a limited number of polling places will be available on Election Day, and only disabled voters may cast a ballot on a voting machine.
Voters who go to their polling place on Election Day may cast their ballot by voting a paper provisional ballot, as long as they did not vote on a mail-in ballot and return it.
Colabella noted that provisional ballots are all counted by the Board of Elections after they determine that a vote-by-mail ballot was not received and counted for that voter and confirms the voter’s registration. Those with questions about this year’s general election process and voting by mail should call the Ocean County Clerk’s Office at 732-929-2018. The clerk’s website is clerk.co.ocean.nj.us
