OCEAN COUNTY – With Primary Election Day takes place on June 8, the Ocean County Clerk and the Board of Elections will be offering additional voting opportunities and assistance to voters who cannot cast their ballot at the polls.
On June 5 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., staff from the County Clerk’s Office and the Board of Elections will be assisting voters, giving them the option to apply for a Vote by Mail ballot, vote and return it to the Board of Election staff that day.
Assistance will take place at the Board of Elections Office located in the basement of 129 Hooper Ave. in Toms River. Free parking is available in the Ocean County Parking Garage.
“Voters can once again cast their ballots at their local polling places on a voting machine, now that the Governor has rescinded the orders that were in place during the 2020 elections requiring everyone be mailed a Vote by Mail ballot,” Ocean County Clerk Scott M. Colabella said. “Voters need to look closely at their polling place information on the sample ballot as it may have changed due to the pandemic or call the Board of Elections if they are uncertain.”
June 1 was the last day the Clerk’s Office could receive a Vote by Mail application through the U.S. mail, Colabella said.
“After that date voters must apply for a Vote by Mail ballot in person. They have until 3 p.m., Monday, June 7 to do so,” Colabella said. “We set aside Saturday, June 5 to give voters the opportunity on a weekend day to vote using a Vote by Mail ballot. They can fill it out and leave it right at the Board of Elections.
“We have been providing this opportunity for a number of years and encourage voters to take advantage of it,” Colabella said.
Voters can apply in person and obtain a Vote by Mail Ballot in the Toms River office of the County Clerk at 118 Washington St., or at the Southern Service Center, 179 South Main St., Manahawkin, until Monday, June 7. The office hours at both sites are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
A total of 47,379 Vote by Mail Ballots have been issued by the County Clerk’s Election Office for the upcoming June 8 Primary Election. Within the ballots issued, 17,992 have been issued to registered Republicans; 15,649 ballots have been issued to registered Democrats and 13,738 ballots have been issued to unaffiliated voters. In Ocean County, there are 163,472 registered Republican voters, 100,876 registered Democrats and 180,898 unaffiliated or undeclared voters.
All voters who wish to apply in person for a Vote by Mail Ballot need to sign their name as it appears in the voter registry book. For additional information on obtaining a Vote by Mail Ballot, individuals may contact the County Clerk’s Election Office at 732-929-2153. Polling location addresses for all 33 municipalities are available at oceancountyclerk.com.
