The Independent Fire House on Mechanic Street does double duty as the district 2 polling station on election day.

Will the lines be long? Will the flow of voters through the polling stations be smooth?

That remains to be seen. But the better prepared voters are for what awaits them, the fewer delays there will be, right?

Here’s some basic info for Red Bank voters about where to cast ballots, how, and what to do in the event you encounter a glitch on Tuesday.

WHEN AND WHERE: Polls are open 6a to 8p.

Here’s the voting districts map, with inverted Vs indicating the location of the polling places; note that district 3 shares a polling place — the First Aid Squad on Spring Street — with district 7. (Click to enlarge)

If you need more detail about the locations of the polling places, here’s the address list, at left.

And if you’re still not sure what district you’re in, here’s the breakdown by streets: Download 2006_districts_rev_11.pdf

VOTER ID: According to the League of Women Voters of New Jersey (which has excellent voter resources on its website), you need to provide ID if you are a first-time voter who registered by mail and did not provide identification numbers or the information you provided could not be verified.

Identification may include, but is not limited to, a current and valid photo ID such as a:

• Driver’s license
• Student or job ID
• Military or other government ID
• Store membership ID
• United States Passport

OR non-photo ID such as a:

• Bank statement
• Car registration
• Government check or document
• Non-photo driver’s license
• Rent receipt
• Sample ballot
• Utility bill
• or any other official document

If you can provide ID you are allowed to vote at the polls on the machine.

However, if you do not show identification, you will vote by provisional ballot and have until the close of business on the second day after the election to provide identification to the applicable county election office. You will be given a hand-out at the polling place that will tell you which county election office to contact.

HOW: If you need a refresher on using the new-ish touch-screen voting machines or have never used them, here’s your chance to bone up:

Instead of pulling a lever to cast a vote as in the old analog machines, users make their selections on a touch-screen display, touching a button next to the name of the preferred candidate or the answer to a public question. A green X will light up to show the selection. Votes can be changed before all selections are submitted by simply touching the same button again, which turns off the green X.

For write-in votes (‘personal choice selections’ in the nomenclature of the the machines, as though other options were not personal choices), a keyboard is installed in each voting machine. Touch the ‘personal choice’ button on the same line as the office for for which you’re writing in a name. A blinking green X will appear. Then type in the name, using the arrow pointing right to make spaces, and the left arrow to make corrections. Check that you’ve spelled the name correctly, and press ‘enter’ on the keyboard.

After all selections have been made, push the red ‘cast votes’ button on the lower right of the display to submit your choices.

No, the curtain behind you doesn’t automatically open after you’ve cast your votes, as with the old lever machines. This seems to throw some people off.

TROUBLESHOOTING: Know your rights, and carry palmcard below, prepared by the league. It includes the phone number of the League’s VOTEline (1-800-792-VOTE) available to assist voters who may encounter problems at the polls. (Click to enlarge and print)

Email this story