Know Your Voting Rights

Before you step into the polling booth, make sure you know your rights.

Any registered voter in New Jersey can vote by mail rather than in person at the polls, but you must first apply for a vote-by-mail ballot. You can obtain an application to vote by mail from your county clerk’s office or online. Mail the completed application form so it arrives at least seven days before the election, or deliver it in person to your county clerk by 3 p.m. on the day before the election.

Once you have applied for and received a vote-by-mail ballot, you can return your ballot in one of three ways: by mail (postmarked by election day), using a ballot drop box (deposited by 8 p.m. on election day), or in person at your county Board of Elections office (by 8 p.m. on election day). You can track the progress of your ballot online.

Your polling location is indicated on your sample ballot, which you’ll receive in the mail. You can also call your county elections office to ask where you should vote, or visit New Jersey’s online poll locator. Don’t forget to double-check your registration status.

If you are a first-time voter who registered by mail, you might need to provide identification at the polls. The voter registration form asks registrants to provide a driver’s license number, non-driver identification number, or the last four digits of a Social Security number. If you registered by mail and did not provide one of those numbers on the form, you will need to show an ID before voting. Acceptable IDs include a current and valid photo identification (e.g., New Jersey driver’s license, military or other government identification, student or job identification, store membership card, U.S. Passport), or any current document with your name and address on it (e.g., a bank statement, paycheck, rent receipt, sample ballot, utility bill, government check, car registration, non-photo driver’s license, or any other official document).

All polls and voting machines are required to be accessible. If yours is not, call our hotline 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) to report the issue. You can also report accessibility concerns to the state online.

If you’re not sure whether your vote was counted, ask a poll worker for help.

• You have registered to vote at least 21 days before Election Day. You can get a postage paid voter registration application from the New Jersey Division of Elections. There is no fee or cost for registering to vote.
  • You have the right to register at the address considered your primary address. If you are a college student, it can be a dorm, off-campus address, or a home address. If you are a person who is unhoused, it can be a shelter, park, or any place you usually stay.
• You meet the legal requirements to register to vote.

• You are a U.S. citizen, you will be at least 18 years old on Election Day, and have been a resident of a New Jersey county for at least 30 days before the election.
• A court has not specifically determined that you lack the mental capacity to understand the act of voting.
  • Someone who has been assigned a legal guardian or placed in a psychiatric hospital can still exercise the right to vote unless it has specifically been revoked.
• You are not in prison for a felony (“indictable offense”) conviction.
  • If you’re serving time for a misdemeanor or civil matter you can still vote. You have the right to register and to vote from jail using a mail-in ballot. If you lost your voting rights for a felony conviction, your right to vote is restored once you complete your sentence. You must re-register to vote, even if you were registered before your conviction.

• To vote without intimidation, threats, coercion, or interference.
• To bring your children into the voting booth with you.
• To file a signed or anonymous written complaint at your polling place or by mail, telephone, or online if you are dissatisfied with the way the election is being run.
• To bring someone of your choice into the voting booth to assist you with voting if you cannot read or write English or have a disability. You can also request special assistance from a poll worker.
• To vote by an emergency paper ballot if the voting machines are malfunctioning. Emergency ballots are counted automatically.
• To be given a provisional ballot if you are not allowed to vote on a machine or by emergency ballot. The ballot should have written instructions, including how to find out if it was counted. Your eligibility to vote must be verified by the county before your provisional ballot is counted.
• To vote under your previous name if you have changed your name since registering to vote.
• To ask for assistance from a poll worker.

If your polling location is not open when you arrive, call our hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) or the Division of Elections at 1-877-NJ-VOTER (1-877-658-6837) to alert officials of the problem. Polls are open 6 a.m. - 8 p.m. If your right to vote is challenged by an official challenger, ask the poll worker for an affidavit, which you will sign to confirm your identity or address. The worker will allow you to vote either on the machine or by a provisional ballot.

• You believe you are entitled to vote but your name is not on the poll list of voters.
• You have moved to a new district within your county and have not registered at your new address (you may vote provisionally in the district where you now live).
• You have moved to a new county within 30 days before the election (you may vote provisionally in the last district where you were registered). You may not vote if you moved into the county from another county or a different state 31 days or more before the election and have not registered.
• You are a first-time voter and you did not provide the accepted form of ID when you registered to vote and did not bring it on Election Day. You must bring acceptable ID to the appropriate county office within 48 hours of voting for your provisional ballot to be counted. Poll workers must give you a form that tells you where the office to bring your ID is located.
• You requested a mail-in ballot but didn’t receive it in time.

If you are not allowed to vote or if you feel you are wrongly made to vote on a provisional ballot when you’re entitled to vote on the machine, you have the right to present your case to an election judge on Election Day who will determine your eligibility to vote. If you intend to appear before an election judge, call our Voter Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) for assistance.