MADISON — In light of Governor Murphy’s recent Executive Order 177, which mandates that the 2020 General Election will be conducted primarily by mail-in ballot, the Madison Republican Committee has issued a statement encouraging Madison voters to use their Vote By Mail ballots when they arrive.
“Every registered voter should automatically receive a Vote By Mail ballot by October 5,” explained Chairwoman Kathy Dailey. “The message that we want to convey to voters is simply that the very best way to make sure that their vote will be counted is to use their Vote By Mail ballot. We also recommend that voters create an online account in the New Jersey Voter Registration System so they can confirm that their ballot has been accepted before election day.”
The NJ GOP has joined the Trump campaign in challenging the Governor’s order in court. While that legal case is underway, the Madison Republican Committee is focusing its municipal efforts toward helping voters understand how they can cast their ballot and have their vote count. “Our goal is to prevent the disenfranchisement of voters within Madison, to the best of our ability. Between now and election day, we will continue to share information that will help voters understand the voting process for this year’s election,” Chairwoman Dailey stated.
The Madison Republican Committee acknowledges that many voters have expressed apprehension about using Vote By Mail ballots this year. To alleviate voter anxiety, the Madison Republican Committee has been advising voters to create an account in the New Jersey Voter Registration System to track their ballots. “Voters can set up an account by clicking here. After they vote, they can log in by clicking here to confirm that the ballot was accepted by their election official,” Dailey said.
Morris County Clerk Ann F. Grossi’s advisory notice to Morris County voters confirms that although “a limited number of polling places established by the Board of Elections will be available for voters on November 3,” in-person voters will only be offered the opportunity to submit paper provisional ballots. “Provisional ballots are intended as a fail-safe for voters who encounter difficulties casting their ballots due to a recent move or an error in the poll book or some other unusual situation. Provisional ballots are just that – provisional,” Dailey emphasized. “They are counted last, and the voter will not be able to track the status of their ballot until after the election has already been decided. There will be nothing the voter can do to fix a rejected provisional ballot.
“As long as a registered voter receives a Vote By Mail ballot, that should be their preferred method for casting their vote. If you cast a Vote By Mail ballot prior to election day, you can check your voter account prior to the close of the election and have the opportunity to correct any errors.”
As the General Election nears, the Madison Republican Committee will provide instructional videos and other materials on its website by clicking here and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MadisonNJGOP) to educate voters about Vote By Mail and ballot tracking.
