TOMS RIVER, NJ — According to county officials, Ocean County voters have many choices for casting ballots in the upcoming General Election. Early voting begins Oct. 28, vote-by-mail is already underway, and traditional polling places will open on Election Day, Nov. 7.
Ocean County Commissioner Gary Quinn, liaison to the Ocean County Clerk’s Office, said early voting and mail-in options have been operational since Sept. 23, when the first mail-in ballots were sent out. The Ocean County Clerk’s Office and the Ocean County Board of Elections have been preparing for this election for months.
For information on the election, voters can refer to the Ocean County Clerk’s website. This resource details vote-by-mail procedures, early voting, and sample ballots. Ocean County Clerk Scott M. Colabella highlighted the availability of sample ballots online, which also list early voting locations, drop-off box sites, and other election-related information.
Colabella noted that the General Election will continue using new voting machines purchased earlier this year. These machines were first deployed during the June 2023 Primary Election and will be used for early voting and on Election Day.
More than 400,000 Ocean County residents are expected to receive sample ballots in the mail. The ballots also offer insights into the candidates for State Legislature, Ocean County Surrogate, Commissioner, and other local offices. Early voting is slated to run from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5, with 10 locations available across the county. Voting hours will differ during the week and the weekend.
According to Quinn, nearly 58,000 vote-by-mail ballots have been issued, and over 31% have been returned to the Ocean County Board of Elections. The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot through the U.S. Postal Service is Oct. 31. Applications can also be picked up at the County Clerk’s Office until 3 p.m. on Nov. 6.
Twenty secure vote-by-mail drop-off boxes are located throughout the county, with an 8 p.m. deadline on Nov. 7 for depositing ballots. Locations for these boxes include various branches of the Ocean County Library and other community spaces.
The polls will open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Election Day in all voting districts in Ocean County.