You gotta be in it for your candidate to win it.
It’s deadline time for citizens who want a voice that counts in the Nov. 4 elections.
New Jersey law requires that would-be voters register no less than 21 days before an election. This year, that means Tuesday, October 14.
To be eligible to register, you must:
Be a citizen of the United States
Be a resident of New Jersey and county at your address at least 30 days before the next election
Be at least 18 years of age by the time of the next election
Not be serving a sentence or on parole or probation as the result of a conviction of any indictable offense under the laws of this or another state or of the United States
Here’s how to register, courtesy of the Record of Hackensack:
In person: Fill out a registration form at your municipal clerk’s office or at your county’s election board office. Registration commissioners in each county will be available until 9 p.m. on Oct. 14 to sign up new voters. To find a local registration commissioner’s office, visit the state Division of Elections website.
By mail: Download an application form at the state Division of Elections site or pick one up at any Motor Vehicle Commission office. Fill it out and mail it to the Commissioners of Registration office in your county, making sure to postmark it by Tuesday. New Jersey does not allow registration online or by fax because each application must carry an original signature.
You can also download a registration form here.
In Red Bank, the borough clerk’s office (90 Monmouth Street, corner of Maple Avenue) will remain open until 9p Tuesday to accommodate last-minute registrations. Call 732-530-2740 for more info.
That office, and the clerk’s offices in all towns, can look up whether a resident is registered to vote.
You can also check your registration status online, but there’s a bit of a catch 22 if you registered prior to January 1, 2006. The state website requires that you know your voter ID number; if you don’t, the website directs you to a county website. But in the case of Monmouth County, there’s no way to get that info online; you must call (732.431.7778). A clerk in Red Bank tells us the books of registered voters the borough has don’t include the voter ID number.
