Are you registered to vote?
Today is National Voter Registration Day, which makes now the perfect time to make sure you are properly registered to vote in the upcoming election.
New Jersey sets a deadline for voter registration that is 21 days before Election Day. This year, that deadline is October 13. So you’ve got just under a month to get things squared away.
Luckily, New Jersey has made it even easier to register. You can now do so online here. You no longer need to print out a paper form and mail it in.
If you recently moved, you may have updated your voter registration when you updated your driver’s license. If you’re unsure, you can verify your current registration status on the state’s website here. To verify the actual address at which you are registered, you’ll need to set up a My Voter Record account and log in here.
To be eligible to register, you must be a) a United States citizen, b) at least 17 years old, c) a resident of the county 30 days prior to the election (October 4), and d) not serving a sentence of incarceration.
If you aren’t yet 18, you can register – but you can only vote in November if you’ll turn 18 on or before election day (November 3). You won’t be able to register after October 13. So if you’re turning 18 in late October, you must pre-register prior to the deadline.
Here are a few other relevant dates:
- Vote by mail ballots will begin being mailed on September 19. These must be received at a post office, authorized ballot drop box, or county board of election on or before Election Day (November 3). They cannot be returned to your normal polling place.
- Early in-person voting will take place from October 24 to November 1.
- Election Day is November 3, and polls are open from 6AM to 8PM.
You can find all of this information and more at New Jersey’s Voter Information Portal hosted by the New Jersey Department of State.
And remember – democracy is not a spectator sport. So get off the sidelines, get registered, and go vote on November 3.