For
Immediate Release:
September 9, 2020
County
officials provide updates on
Nov. 3
General Election and Monmouth County CARES
FREEHOLD, NJ – Monmouth County officials held
a press conference today to provide updates on the Nov. 3 General Election, the
State mandated changes as well as Monmouth County CARES Economic Assistance
Grant Program.
Monmouth County Clerk
Christine Giordano Hanlon advised voters that major changes have been made to
the Nov. 3 General Election process, due to a new State law signed by Governor
Phil Murphy. For the first time in New Jersey history, the Nov. 3 General
Election will be conducted primarily by mail-in ballots.
All registered and active
voters will automatically receive mail-in ballots for voting in the 2020
General Election without the need to submit a vote by mail application, per the
State mandate. The mail-in ballots will be sent to voters on or before Oct. 5,
per State law.
In addition; only a
limited number of polling places will be available for voters on Nov. 3,
General Election Day, where only paper provisional ballots will be available
for voting. Voters with disabilities who need an accessible mail-in ballot,
should contact the County Clerk’s Election Office at 732-431-7790, or may go to
their assigned 2020 polling place on General Election Day, where they will be
provided with access to an ADA accessible voting device.
“Due to the State
mandate, this year’s Nov. 3 Election is unprecedented,” said Clerk Hanlon. “It
is the first time in New Jersey history that a General Election is being
conducted primarily by mail-in ballots. I encourage voters to check our
elections website at MonmouthCountyVotes.com and to download our free Monmouth
County Votes Mobile App, so they can receive the latest information about the
process and procedures.”
Patricia A. Bennett,
Commissioner of the Monmouth County Board of Elections, highlighted the ways
voters can return their mail-in ballot to the County Board of Elections for
counting. Per the State mandate, voters can return their completed General
Election mail-in ballots via mail, drop box, in-person to the Board of
Elections Office at 300 Halls Mill Road in Freehold, or in-person at their
assigned 2020 General Election polling place.
“It is important to
remember that every mail-in ballot will be counted, pursuant to State law,
before the provisional ballots from Election Day are reviewed, verified and
counted,” said Clerk Hanlon. “If you feel strongly about going to the polls on
Election Day, Nov. 3, I encourage you to bring your completed mail-in ballot
and simply drop it off. Since everyone wants timely results from this election,
I encourage all voters to return their mail in ballots for counting as soon as
they received them.”
Freeholder Director
Thomas A. Arnone provided an update on Monmouth County CARES and shared that
additional funds are available to small businesses in need.
“The County has added an additional $10 million of
CARES Act money, so there are still funds available,” said Freeholder Director
Arnone. “To date, we have
received more than 2,000 applications and handled more than 2,700 phone calls
regarding the program, approving just shy of $10 million in grant dollars. My
fellow Freeholders and I feel that it is so important
to put money directly in the pockets of our businesses during these hard times.”
To apply for Monmouth County CARES, have your tax
return ready and go to www.MonmouthCountyCares.com
or call 732-375-2196, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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