By NICOLE GILLESPIE, Mayor of Moorestown
Tuesday, Nov. 3 is Election Day. Although 2020 has been a strange and difficult year, voting is still our right and still our responsibility. But voting will be different this year because of safety concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, so it’s important that all Moorestonians know how to ensure their vote gets counted and their voice gets heard.
Governor Murphy’s Executive Orders #177 and #179 direct the November General Election to be conducted primarily by mail. Ballots were mailed out to all registered voters starting Sept. 30, so you may have already received yours. Look for an envelope with a blue stripe, and remember that this is your official ballot — no sample ballots are being mailed this year.
Here are answers to some of the most common questions voters have been asking:
How do I know if I’m registered to vote?
You can check your registration status online at https://voter.svrs.nj.gov/registration-check. If you are not registered, you can now register to vote online at https://voter.svrs.nj.gov/register. Be sure to register by Oct. 13 in order to vote in this election!
How do I return my ballot safely?
There are a number of ways to return your ballot. You can:
- Mail it back using the postage-paid return envelope (remember, it must be postmarked on, or before, Nov. 3 to be counted!);
- Drop it in the secure ballot box in front of the Moorestown library, or any of the other ballot boxes in the county (see http://bit.ly/BurlCoElection2020 for a complete list.) These drop boxes are available 24 hours a day and until 8pm on Election Day.
- Deliver it, sealed in the provided return envelopes, to your polling place by 8 p.m. on Election Day where it will be checked in by poll workers.
- Deliver it directly to the Burlington County Board of Elections at 50 Rancocas Road in Mt Holly.
How will I know if my ballot has been sent, or received once I sent it back?
You can track the status at https://nj.gov/state/elections/vote-track-my-ballot.shtml.
What if I don’t get my ballot in the mail, or I misplace it?
If you don’t receive a ballot by Oct. 13, please call (609)265–5229. But even if you don’t receive a ballot, or misplace it, you will still be able to vote. Just go to your polling place (see next question for a list) on Nov. 3 where you will cast a provisional ballot. A provisional ballot just means that the election board will check to see that you didn’t already vote by mail before they count your provisional ballot
Can I vote in person instead of by mail?
You can vote in person ONLY by casting a provisional ballot at the polls, or if you have a disability that prevents you from using a paper ballot. There will be four polling places in Moorestown on Nov. 3, instead of our usual eight: Lenola Firehouse for voting districts 1–5; Town Hall for districts 7, 8, 11, 12 & 13; First Presbyterian Church for districts 6, 9, 10, 14, 15; Moorestown Library for districts 16 & 17 and the Burlington County Agricultural Center for districts 18, 19 & 20. If you aren’t sure which district you are in, you can find your polling place at https://voter.svrs.nj.gov/polling-place-search.
