ballotbymail.org · nonpartisan
Voting by mail in New Jersey
Yes. Anyone can request a mail ballot. Any registered voter can request a mail (absentee) ballot, no reason needed. There's a deadline, so request early. Counties start mailing ballots 45 days before the election. Vote-by-mail list available.
Key dates
| Register to vote by | Tue, Oct 13 |
| Mail ballot request received by | Tue, Oct 27 |
| Early in-person voting | Sat, Oct 24 – Sun, Nov 1 |
| Mail your ballot by | Tue, Oct 27 (USPS: allow 7 days) |
| Election Day | Tue, Nov 3 |
| ID at the polls | No ID needed at the polls. Without one: Registered voters sign the poll book and vote normally; a first-time-by-mail registrant who lacks ID may vote a provisional ballot. |
| Return rule | Postmarked by Election Day and received by 8 p.m. Nov. 9 (6 days after); a ballot with no postmark still counts if it arrives within 48 hours. Drop box or county office by 8 p.m. Election Day. |
| Fix a flagged ballot by | Sat, Nov 14 |
| Missed the request deadline? | Any voter, through an Authorized Messenger (a family member or a registered voter of your county, not a candidate) who applies and picks up the ballot in person at the county clerk: by Mon, Nov 2, 3 p.m.. |
| Who can return it for you | Anyone you choose may return it. Anyone may act as a 'Bearer' and carry your ballot to the county Board of Elections or a secure drop box (not a polling place): up to 3 ballots per election from outside their household, or 5 if the voters are immediate family living with them. The bearer signs the Bearer Portion of the outer envelope in front of you and shows ID at the Board. |
Steps
- Request your ballot now. Don't wait for the deadline.
- Confirm your registration and mailing address while you're at it.
- When it arrives, fill it out in blue or black ink and sign the envelope.
- Return it by drop box or in person if you can. Mail it at least a week early if not.
- Track it on your state's tracker until it shows received.
Don't get rejected
- Sign the envelope the way you signed your voter registration or driver's license. Your state compares them.
- Use the secrecy sleeve if one is included, then the return envelope. Don't tape anything.
- Your state goes by the postmark. Automated postmarks can lag a day, so hand it to a clerk at the post office counter and ask for a manual postmark (free).
- Keep the phone and email on your registration current. If there's a problem, that's how they reach you to fix it.
https://nj.gov/state/elections/vote-by-mail.shtml
https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/vote-track-my-ballot.shtml
ballotbymail.org/state/nj
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Rules checked 2026-09-09; deadlines checked 2026-09-09. Sources: NCSL, Vote.org, CEIR, state election offices. The official site wins if anything differs. Free to copy and post.