Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi invites Vote-by-Mail users to participate in a new pilot project for voters who plan to pick up their ballot in person and cast it in the November 5th General Election. Instead of receiving a ballot printed in advance, voters can have their ballot custom-printed on the spot. The new “ballot on demand” service is available at the County Clerk’s Main Office in the County Courthouse at 2 Broad Street, Room 113 in Elizabeth.
“We are excited to offer this new ballot management service — the first of its kind in New Jersey — to Union County voters who use Vote-by-Mail ballots,” said Ms. Rajoppi. “The new technology will enable voters to pick up their Vote-by-Mail ballots more quickly, while reducing administrative costs.”
For the November General Election, the new ballot management system covers 66 different versions of the official General Election Ballot in all 21 towns in Union County.
Visitors to the County Clerk’s Main Office can ask for a ballot on demand, which can be printed out within seconds. In contrast, Vote-by-Mail ballots are currently pulled from existing files, a labor intensive process that can much longer.
“In addition to avoiding delays, the improved technology eliminates any risk of ballot shortages. It also ensures that each voter receives the correct ballot, eliminates the need to store mass quantities of printed ballots, and frees staff for other tasks,” explained Ms. Rajoppi.
If the pilot project is successful, the ballot on demand service it will also be available at the County Clerk’s Annex Office in Westfield, beginning in 2020.
Savings in future election cycles could be considerable. In the 2020 primary, for example, Ms. Rajoppi anticipates that 550 different versions of the ballot will be needed.
Any voter planning to use a Vote-by-Mail ballot for the November 5th General Election is welcome to visit the County Clerk’s Main Office in Elizabeth to try the new system.
Voters who have not yet applied for a Vote-by-Mail ballot can obtain an application form and have their on-demand ballot printed in one visit to the County Clerk’s Main Office in Elizabeth.
Vote-By-Mail application forms can also be picked up at any municipal office or downloaded from the County Clerk’s election website at unioncountyvotes.com and the free Union County Votes mobile app. To request an application form by phone or email, contact the County Clerk’s election division at 908-527-4996 or ucvote@ucnj.org.
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