New Jersey citizens have numerous opportunities to cast ballots every year. Along with the rest of the nation we elect federal officials in even numbered years, while state office holders are chosen in odd years. One rationale is to assure that state issues receive due consideration. Since most municipal officials serve three year staggered terms, some are up annually. In addition to the General Election every November, both political parties hold primaries in the spring to nominate their candidates. Most school board elections are now also held in November; only two school districts in Bergen County still hold elections in April (Cliffside Park and Fairview); and there are a few city districts in which the mayor appoints board of education members. Some municipalities with nonpartisan local government (Hackensack, Lyndhurst and Teaneck) hold elections in May. Special elections may be held throughout the year for certain types of referenda.
REGISTRATION: To qualify for voting, citizens must be registered at least 21 days before the election and be 18 years of age by the election. You may register to vote if you are 17 years old but cannot vote until you are 18. You may declare a party affiliation but are not required to do so until you want to vote in a primary. Registration is permanent unless you change your name or address, but changes in party designation are permitted annually. One can register in person with the town clerk or the county elections office. Automatic Voter Registration registers eligible New Jerseyans and updates voter registration whenever driver’s licenses are renewed. It is secure, cleans up our rolls, boosts registration rates, and saves money.
Online voter registration is now available. Registration forms may also be printed from the internet here.
Click here for an annotated guide to completing your Voter Registration Application.
VOTING BY MAIL: Vote by mail ballots are available for any registered voter for any election. Mail-in ballot requests can be for one or all future elections. To receive your ballot by mail, the application must be received by the County Clerk seven days prior to the election. A voter may also apply in person to the County Clerk until 3:00 p.m. the day before the election. If you apply for a vote-by-mail ballot, you will not be permitted to vote at the polls. If you return the ballot by mail, it must be both postmarked no later than Election Day and received by the County Board of Elections on or before 6 days after Election Day.
Vote-By-Mail ballot applications are available here.
Click here for a guide to completing your Application for a Vote by Mail Ballot.
If you are a Bergen County resident, the completed application from the link should be mailed to:
Hon. John S. Hogan
Bergen County Clerk
One Bergen County Plaza, Room 130
Hackensack, NJ 07601
The June 4, 2024 PRIMARY ELECTION will be conducted 3 ways.
Voters need to choose one.
1. Go to your regular polling location on Election Day and vote on a machine.
• The polls are open from 6am to 8pm on June 4.
• Check your sample ballot for your polling location or visit vote.nj.gov
2. Vote by Mail.
• If you are not set up to receive one already, applications sent by mail must be received by May 28th. To check your status contact the Bergen County Clerk’s Office at 201–336-7020 or electionsclerk@co.bergen.nj.us
• You may cast your Vote by Mail ballot by:
– Mailing it in as soon as possible. Your ballot must be postmarked on or before Primary Election Day, June 4.
– Deposit in a Secure Ballot Drop Box no later than 8pm on Election Day. Drop box locations can be found at www.bergencountyvotes.com.
– Deliver your Vote by Mail ballot in person to the Board of Elections located at 1 Bergen County Plaza – Room 310 by 8pm on Primary Election Day.
3. Vote at any In-Person Early Voting Location.
EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS: www.bergencountyclerk.org/Services/77
• Early Voting Locations will be open Wednesday, May 29th through Sunday, June 2.
• Hours will be Monday-Saturday, 10am to 8pm and Sunday, 10am to 6pm.
Machines for early voting are new and have a paper trail. After signing in on the electronic poll book, you will go to a voting machine, swipe a card and vote electronically. The machine will print out a paper ballot with your voting choices. Check to make sure the machine has recorded your vote correctly and, if there is an error, request to do it over. You will be given a privacy folder to carry your ballot to a scanner, and you will drop the ballot in the scanner yourself.
If for some reason your name is not in the e-poll book, you will be given a provisional ballot to vote which will be subject to signature verification during the counting process.
Please note, voters with active vote by mail requests should opt out as soon as possible if they are choosing to go to the polls in person. To opt out of receiving Vote by Mail Ballots please contact the Bergen County Clerk’s Office, 201-336-7020.
For important election dates, check out our Calendar.
INFORMATION for CANDIDATES
For information on candidate petitions for Federal or Statewide offices, please contact the New Jersey Division of Elections, (609) 292-3760, or visit their website.
Petitions and Ballot Position forms for Countywide and Local offices can be obtained at the Bergen County Clerk’s office Election Division, at your local Municipal Clerk’s office, or by clicking on the links found HERE. Please call the county at (201) 336-7020 for more information and to determine how many signatures will be required on your petition.
CANDIDATE FORUMS and LEAGUE MODERATORS
Candidate forums provide an excellent tool for the League of Women Voters to advance its mission – to encourage active, informed participation in government. In pursuing this goal, we are eager to work with others in our communities to sponsor public candidate forums with audience participation. We expect organizations that sponsor debates to be non-partisan and agree not to endorse any candidates; however, we have also had some excellent forums for which campaign staffs for all the candidates have worked together to make arrangements in compliance with League guidelines.
League of Women Voters believes that observing a face to face debate among opposing candidates provides an excellent opportunity for voters to judge which candidate(s) will best represent them. To candidates, we suggest that a public forum provides a unique opportunity to present your qualifications and ideas, explain why you are running and what you hope to accomplish in the office you seek. League moderators assure that all candidates are given equal time to speak in a dignified and controlled atmosphere where emphasis is on issues not personalities. A fee payable to the League of Women Voters is expected for the use of the League name and service of a trained moderator.
Before contacting the League for help with a candidates forum, several things need to be in place. The necessary first step in planning a debate is that the candidates agree to participate; a date and place should also be selected.
Since there are so many districts holding elections on the same day and the number of trained League moderators is limited, it is urgent to select a date and site as early as possible.
To request a League moderator, click here for a Moderator Request Form. You may also e-mail contact@lwvnj.org or call our state office at 1-800-792-VOTE. Click here for a brochure about Candidate Forums.
Nonpartisan, ballot-specific information is provided by the League of Women Voters on its Vote411.org website. In addition to supplying voter registration information and identifying time and place of voting locations, visitors can see who is on the ballot in their district, town, county or state as well as learn about ballot questions. Voters can learn about and compare candidates by reading their short bios and their responses to questions posed by the League.
RESOURCES:
LWVNJ Citizens’ Guide to Government: www.lwvnj.org/footer/publications-and-resources
The League can provide assistance in setting up non-partisan public forums on policy issues as well as candidates.