VOTING INFORMATION

Voter Eligibility

You must be a citizen of the United States.
You must be 18 years of age on or before the day of the election.
You must be a resident of your present address for at least 30 days before the election.
You must not be serving a sentence, on parole, or on probation as a result of a conviction of an indictable offense under state or federal law.
You must not be adjudged mentally incompetent.

Voter Registration

You must complete a New Jersey Voter Registration Application form. These forms can be printed from the Board of Elections page of the Somerset County website at www.co.somerset.nj.us. Forms can also be obtained from the Divisions of Elections, Somerset County Board of Elections Office, and the Franklin Township’s Clerk Office.
You must provide an original signature. The form cannot be faxed or electronically submitted.
You must provide a valid ID in the form of a driver’s license or the last four (4) digits of your social security number if you have one.
You must return the completed form at least 21 days prior to the next election to be eligible to vote in that election.

Party Affiliation

You do not have to affiliate with a party when registering to vote. If you do not choose a party, you will be classified as “UNAFFILIATED”.

In order to vote in a Primary Election, you must declare the party you wish to vote in. If you are “UNAFFILIATED”, you may declare your party either by filing out a State of New Jersey Political Party Declaration Form and submitting it to the Somerset County Board of Elections 50 days prior to the election or simply by declaring your party at the polls on the day of the election. These forms can be printed from the Board of Elections page of the Somerset County website at www.co.somerset.nj.us. Forms can also be obtained from the Somerset County Board of Elections Office and the Franklin Township’s Clerk Office.

If you declared a party and wish to change that affiliation, you must submit a State of New Jersey Political Party Affiliation Declaration Form 50 days prior to the Primary Election.

You must apply for an absentee ballot by completing an Absentee Ballot Application. These forms can be printed from the County Clerk’s page of the Somerset County website at www.co.somerset.nj.us. Forms can also be obtained from the Somerset County Clerk’s Office and the Franklin Township’s Clerk Office.

You must mail this to the County Clerk’s Office up to seven (7) days prior to the election. The County Clerk cannot accept faxes or electronic copies, as an original signature is required.
You may apply in person at the County Clerk’s office up to 3:00 p.m. on the day before the election.
Once your ballot is voted and sealed, it must be returned to the Somerset County Board of Elections by 8:00 p.m. on the day of the election.
If you have applied for an Absentee Ballot and have decided to not vote it and instead vote at the polls, you may now do so. However, you must vote by provisional ballot.

If you change your name due to marriage, divorce, or by judgment of the court, you ma notify the Somerset County Board of Elections in a written statement with an original signature at least 21 days prior to the election. If you do not notify the Board of Elections at least 21 days prior to the election, you will be permitted to vote at the polls under you original registration by signing both your registered name and your new name before voting.
If you move within Somerset County and do not notify the Somerset County Board of Elections at least 21 days prior to the election, you will be permitted to vote in your new district by provisional ballot.
If you move out of Somerset County after the close of registration date and are not eligible to vote in your new county, you may return to your previous voting district to vote. You must them register to vote in your new County.

Any voter who is blind, physically disabled, or illiterate is entitled to assistance in the voting machine. The person assisting may be someone of the voters choosing. These voters are now able to request to use the Audio Voting Process.
If the voter is alone, two members of the board of opposite political parties may assist. The voter has the right to have both or only one of these board workers assisting them. It is the voter’s choice.
You may not accept assistance from a representative of you employer or union for federal elections.
Any person providing assistance must sign the “Certificate of Assistance” located in the front of the Voter Registration Book” before entering the voting booth.

Return to Clerk Page