Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi will open her offices in Elizabeth and Westfield on Saturday, June 2, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for voters seeking last-minute mail-in ballots. The office in Elizabeth at the Union County Courthouse, 2 Broad Street, and the office in Westfield at 300 North Avenue East, will be open as a public service for those voters who choose the Vote-By-Mail option for the Primary Election to be held on Tuesday, June 5.
“Every voter should have the opportunity to cast his or her ballot in the primary election for federal, county and municipal offices,” Rajoppi said. “We want to ensure that even those who have a last-minute change of plans can have a chance to vote.”
Sample ballots for the Primary Election in each Union County municipality may be viewed by going to the County Clerk’s website: https://ucnj.org/ctyclerk
“By opening the Elizabeth office on the Saturday before the primary election, as we have done for the past 16 years, along with the Westfield office, which has regular Saturday hours throughout the year, we hope to assist those citizens whose work schedules or other commitments keep them from applying during the work week,” Rajoppi said.
Voters will be able to drop off their completed mail-in ballot, formerly known as an absentee ballot, at the Union County Clerk’s offices in Elizabeth and Westfield. This option allows voters to pick up their ballots, vote in privacy and deposit them in a secured lockbox – all at the same office through 3:00 p.m. on Monday, June 4.
“Voters used to pick up absentee ballots at the Clerk’s office and then had to drive across town to deliver them to the Board of Elections,” Rajoppi said. “This option makes voting more accessible, particularly for senior citizens.”
Completed ballots will be kept in a secure lockbox under the control of the Union County Board of Elections, who will collect them for counting.
The County Clerk’s office has processed more than 2,500 mail-in ballots to date for the Primary Election and expects the number to exceed 4,000 by Primary Day, Tuesday, June 5.
To obtain a Vote-By-Mail application, voters may download the form at the Clerk’s website: https://ucnj.org/vote-by-mail/, but they must bring the completed application to either of the County Clerk’s offices on Saturday, June 2, between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., or on Monday, June 4, before 3:00 p.m. For more information, please contact the County Clerk’s office at 908-527-4996.
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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.
