County Clerk Website Gives Wrong Info for Fax, Email Voting

Some information on the Morris County Clerk's Office website directing voters who cannot get to the polls on Tuesday to vote via fax or email is either incorrect or inaccurate, reports NJ.com.

A New Jersey Department of State press release issued this weekend orders county elections officials to permit New Jersey registered voters displaced by Hurricane Sandy to vote electronically. The directive also is intended to assist displaced first responders, whose emergency recovery efforts away from home would otherwise make voting a challenge.

However, at least for Morris County voters, some information on the county website is either incorrect or misleading, including indications of when the deadline is for applications to vote by email or fax, according to the NJ.com article.

To vote electronically, displaced voters may submit a mail-in ballot application either by email or fax to their county clerk. Once an application is approved, the clerk will electronically send a ballot to the voter by either fax or email in accordance to the voter’s preference. Voters must return their electronic ballot either by fax or email no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Voters can download a mail-in ballot application for their county by visiting http://nj.gov/state/elections/voting-information-vote-by-mail.html. A list of county clerk websites, phone numbers and fax numbers are available by visiting http://nj.gov/state/elections/voting-information-local-officials.html.

Separate directives issued enable displaced voters and first responders to vote by provisional ballot at a polling place in a county other than the voter’s county of registration. The deadline for county clerks to receive mail-in ballots has been extended to Nov. 19 for any ballot postmarked on or before Nov. 5, 2012. Mail-in ballots post marked later than Nov. 5 will not be accepted.