County of Union, New Jersey

Real-Time Mail-In Ballot Processing Accessible on the County Website

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Elections is providing residents with a way to see how a fair and transparent election plays out – live.

The public will be allowed to watch ballot processing from two different perspectives in real time via live stream. Ballot processing for the November 3^rd General Election will be live streamed on https://ucnj.org/boe/live-camera-feeds/. 

“The Board of Elections has worked hard to make this new voting reality as seamless as possible for voters within Union County” said Union County Board of Elections Administrator, Nicole DiRado. “Vote-by-Mail is a reliable, secure and accurate way to vote and providing residents the opportunity see the ballot processing live instills further trust and confidence in the process.”

The live stream will be accessible throughout the Board of Elections operations for the General Election. Viewers will be able to see a view of the tabulation machines as well as view the Board of Elections employees opening and prepping ballots.

The New Jersey State Legislature passed a trio of election laws in August 2020 that included a provision allowing counties for the first time ever to begin the counting of ballots to begin as early as 10 days before polls close to mitigate the large volume of paper ballots being mailed in due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting Saturday, October 24, counties in New Jersey can start running ballots through scanning machines, which read and record the colored circles and translate them into vote counts. 

The machines keep running tallies in memory that are not readily available to those working at the Board of Elections processing ballots. It is prohibited by law to disclose any election results before polls close at 8:00 p.m. on November 3. Disclosure of such information is a third-degree offense and is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.

For additional instructions on filling out a Vote-by-Mail ballot, as well as locations of official ballot drop boxes within Union County, visit the Board of Elections online at https://ucnj.org/boe/.

To contact the Board of Elections call 908-527-4123 or email ucboe@ucnj.org.

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Union County Board of Elections Administrator Nicole DiRado announced the locations of two additional ballot drop-off boxes for the November 3 General Election, bringing the total number of drop-off boxes in Union County to 24.

The two new locations are Kean University, Wilkins Theater on Morris Avenue in Union and Union County College, Commons Courtyard near Parking Lot 2 on Springfield Avenue in Cranford.

The locations of the installed drop-off boxes are:

• Berkeley Heights – Snyder Avenue Park, 240 Snyder Avenue
• Clark – Clark Recreation Center, 430 Westfield Avenue
• Cranford – Cranford Community Center, 220 Walnut Avenue
• Cranford – Union County College, Commons Courtyard, near Parking Lot 2, Springfield Avenue
• Elizabeth – Union County Administration Building, 10 Elizabethtown Plaza
• Fanwood — Fanwood Memorial Library, 5 Forest Road
• Garwood – Garwood Public Library, 411 3rd Avenue
• Hillside – Hillside Senior Center, 265 Hollywood Avenue
• Kenilworth — Kenilworth Recreation Center, 575 Boulevard
• Linden– Raymond Wood Bauer Promenade, 400 North Wood Avenue
• Mountainside — Trailside Nature and Science Center, 452 New Providence Road
• New Providence– New Providence Memorial Library, 377 Elkwood Avenue
• Rahway – Rahway Recreation Center, 275 East Milton Avenue
• Roselle– Roselle Public Library, 104 West Fourth Avenue
• Roselle Park – Union County EMS Building, 535 Laurel Avenue
• Plainfield – Plainfield Municipal Building Parking Lot, 515 Watchung Avenue
• Scotch Plains – Union County Engineering Building, 2325 South Avenue
• Springfield — Chisolm Recreation Center, 100 South Springfield Avenue
• Summit — Chestnut Street Parking Lot, adjacent to Fire Department, 406 Broad Street
• Union – Union Township Municipal Building Rear Entrance, 1976 Morris Avenue
• Union – Kean University, Wilkins Theater, Morris Avenue
• Westfield – Colleen Fraser Building in Union County complex, 300 North Avenue East
• Winfield– Winfield Park Mutual Housing Building, Wavecrest Avenue
• Union County Board of Elections– 271 North Broad Street, Elizabeth

“With 24 ballot drop-off boxes now in place, Union County has far exceeded Governor Phil Murphy’s mandate of at least 10 drop-off boxes per county,” said Ms. DiRado. “The extra locations help to ensure that every Union County voter has convenient access to a secure, reliable, method for casting their ballot in time to be counted.”

Under Governor Murphy’s COVID-19 prevention orders, the November 3 General Election will be conducted primarily through Vote-by-Mail ballots. All registered voters will automatically receive their ballot in the mail, and are strongly urged to cast it as soon as they receive it.

Voters can choose any of the following methods to cast their Vote-by-Mail prior to, or on, Election Day, November 3:

1. Deposit your ballot in a secure Board of Elections drop-off box. Any Union County voter can use any drop-off box in any municipality, regardless of their residence. All drop-off boxes are available on a 24/7 basis from now until the polls close at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3. A list of drop-off locations is posted on the Board of Elections website at ucnj.org/boe/ballot-drop-box-locations. The list will be updated as more drop-off boxes are added. Each drop-off box has been placed in a secure location that is under constant surveillance. The drop-off boxes are accessible only by Board of Elections staff and are emptied daily by a bipartisan team.

2. Return your ballot to the Board of Elections by U.S. Postal Service(postage is prepaid). Voters choosing this method are especially advised to mail their ballot as soon as they receive it, in order to avoid any unforeseen delivery delays.
3. Deliver your ballot by hand. Voters may bring their Vote-by-Mail ballot to the Board of Elections office at 271 North Broad Street in Elizabeth, or bring it to the Union County Clerk’s main office in Elizabeth at 2 Broad Street in Elizabeth, or the annex office at 300 North Avenue East in Westfield. On Election Day, all three offices will be open for extended hours until the polls close at 8:00 p.m. Voters choosing hand delivery are required to sign a register and provide a New Jersey driver’s license or other New Jersey identification.
4. Designate a ballot bearer to deliver your ballot by hand. By law, a ballot bearer may deliver up to three ballots for other voters to the Board of Elections or County Clerk’s offices. A ballot bearer may also bring up to three ballots for other voters to a Board of Elections drop-off box.

Each Vote-by-Mail ballot includes instructions for designating a ballot bearer.

In addition, when the polls are open on Election Day voters may bring their Vote-by-Mail ballot to their designated polling place. A list of polling places is available at ucnj.org/boe/where-do-i-vote. Please note that voters who come to a polling place without a Vote-by-Mail ballot will be provided with a provisional paper ballot to cast their vote.

ADA-accessible voting machines will be available at polling places only for voters with disabilities who certify that they cannot use a paper ballot.

Union County residents who have not registered to vote are reminded that the deadline for voter registration is Tuesday, October 13. For more information on voter registration visit ucnj.org/boe/voter-registration-information.

Board of Elections staff is available to answer questions about voter registration, and the office will provide extended hours on October 13 until 9:00 p.m. While visiting the office, voters must wear masks and observe social distance.

To view instructions for using a Vote-by-Mail ballot correctly, visit the Election Board online at ucnj.org/boe/make-sure-your-vote-by-mail-ballot-is-counted-2

 

For more information and updates on all Union County services and resources during the COVID-19 outbreak, including guidance for using the Drive-Through Test Center at Kean University, and the Mobile Test Unit walk-up sites, please visit the new Union County COVID-19 website at ucnj.org/covid19.

For general information about COVID-19 and phone contacts for 24/7 assistance with questions, visit the New Jersey Department of Health at nj.gov/health.

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The Union County Freeholder Board is proud to present “Fix You”, a highly regarded Coldplay tribute band, live in concert at the Union County Vocational-Technical School, located at 1776 Raritan Road in Scotch Plains.

The concert is on Saturday, November 7^th starting at 6:30 PM. Tickets will become available online at www.ucnj.org/reserve on Friday, October 28th at 9 AM and are first-come, first-served. Attendance is limited to 220 cars.

“I am happy to welcome ‘Fix You’ as our next performer in our great drive-in concert series,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “These concerts are providing great entertainment for Union County residents.”

“Fix You”, named after one of the top hits of the legendary British rock band Coldplay, describes itself as the latter’s ultimate tribute band. “Fix You” has played around the world and covers Coldplay’s greatest hits such as Parachutes and Head Full of Dreams. Learn more about the band and its performances at https://www.fixyoulive.com/.

To help promote social distancing, no walk-ups, bikes or chairs are permitted. Vehicles will be arranged at least 6 feet apart with adequate social distancing. Port-o-johns and wash stations will be available. Masks will be required when using the port-o-johns. Attendees must stay in their vehicles (unless they need to use the port-o-johns). Those who are attending can bring their own food, and non-alcoholic drink. Alcohol is prohibited.

The Freeholder Board is proud to present the new Virtual Saturday Series through the Union County Office for Persons with Disabilities & Special Needs. The series will be held every other Saturday from October 10th through December 19^th.

Each virtual event will feature a different interactive program for all ages.

“This virtual series will provide a wide variety of activities for our residents with disabilities and special needs to enjoy with their families,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. 

The next program is Saturday, October 24^th and will be an interactive Healthy Eating Workshop with Tony Bianchino from Out Run Your Fork. The workshop’s topic is “How to Beat Your Sugar Cravings.”

Each program will run from 10:00 until 11:00 am and will be hosted on GoToMeeting. Participants will receive the GoToMeeting link a few days in advance of the event. 

The schedule for the series is as follows: 

• Saturday, October 24^th  – How to Beat Your Sugar Cravings with Tony Bianchino
• Saturday, November 7^th – Rizzo’s Wildlife World – NJ Native’s  
• Saturday, November 21^st – Magic With Simon Mandal  
• Saturday, December 5^th – Healthy Eating for Your Picky Eater with Tony Bianchino
• Saturday, December 19^th – Rizzo’s Wildlife World – Mammals  

To register visit www.ucnj.org/opdsn-reg. Space is limited to 75 participants in each event. 

For more information on the virtual series contact Nicole DeAugustine at ndeaugustine@ucnj.org.

For more information and updates on all Union County services and resources during the COVID-19 outbreak, including guidance for using the Drive-Through Test Center at Kean University, and the Mobile Test Unit walk-up sites, please visit the new Union County COVID-19 website at ucnj.org/covid19.

For general information about COVID-19 and phone contacts for 24/7 assistance with questions, visit the New Jersey Department of Health at nj.gov/health.

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Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announced today that there will be a free Drive-Up screening of “Casper” at the Union County Vocational-Technical Schools Campus, located at 1776 Raritan Rd, Scotch Plains on Friday, October 30, at 7:00 p.m. Parking begins at 6:00 p.m.

Due to space limitations, advanced reservations are required. To register, go to ucnj.org/reserve/ beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, October 23. Only one registration is required per vehicle.

“The Casper drive-up movie provides families with a great way to celebrate Halloween and enjoy a ‘night out at the movies’ with safety in mind,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella.

The following rules and guidelines apply to residents wishing to attend:

• The event will run in compliance with state COVID-19 orders, regarding social distancing and other protocols.
• The event is open to Union County residents ONLY.
• The event is free to attend but pre-registration is required.
• Due to space limitations reservations will be available on a first come, first served basis.
• To help promote social distancing, no walk-ups, bikes or chairs are permitted.
• Attendees must bring their own snacks and drinks. There will not be any food or drink available for purchase.
• Vehicles will be arranged at least 6 feet apart with adequate social distancing.
• Attendees must stay in their vehicles (unless they need to use the port-o-johns)
• Port-o-johns will be available. Masks are required when using the port-o-johns.

Further details will be available to residents upon registration.

For more information and updates on all Union County services during the COVID-19 outbreak, including guidance for the free Drive-Through Test Center at Kean University, visit ucnj.org/coronavirus-update.

For general information about COVID-19 and phone contacts for 24/7 assistance with questions, visit the New Jersey Department of Health at nj.gov/health.

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Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders are pleased to present a unique Beatles tribute band, The Weeklings, live in concert at the Union County Vocational-Technical School in Scotch Plains on Sunday, November 1^st. An opening act to be announced later will go on at 6 p.m., and the Weeklings will take the stage at 7 p.m.

Tickets will become available online at www.ucnj.org/reserve on Friday, October 23 at 9 AM, and are first-come, first-served.

“Our amazing concert series continues with the Weeklings, a band that will present the music of the Beatles, who are universally loved, featuring Glen Burtnik, a great performer and Garden State musical icon,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “I encourage our residents to sign up early as this is sure to be another popular performance.”

The Weeklings are a tribute to the music and inspiration of the Beatles, performing explosive renditions of Beatles classics, uniquely arranged Beatles nuggets plus brilliant Beatles-inspired power-pop originals. The group features legendary Jersey shore rocker, Glen Burtnik who is known as much for his work with bands such as Styx, as he is for his work as a song writer for artists such as Don Henley and Patty Smyth (“Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough”), Mark Collie, Randy Travis, John Waite, Jo Dee Messina and Neal Schon. In addition to Burtnik, the Weeklings consist of Bob Burger, John Merjave, and Joe Bellia.

Burtnik also enjoyed success as a solo performer, and has played with Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Bobby Bandiera, and Southside Johnny. He was a member of two other well-known New Jersey bands, La Bamba and the Hubcaps and Cats on a Smooth Surface.

In his early years, Burtnik appeared in the Broadway production of Beatlemania as Paul McCartney, alongside Marshall Crenshaw, who played John Lennon.

To help promote social distancing, no walk-ups, bikes or chairs are permitted. Vehicles will be arranged at least 6 feet apart with adequate social distancing. Port-o-johns and wash stations will be available. Masks will be required when using the port-o-johns. Attendees must stay in their vehicles (unless they need to use the port-o-johns). Those who are attending can bring their own food, and non-alcoholic drink. Alcohol is prohibited.

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