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Make a Voting Plan for Primary Election

By League of Women Voters May 21, 2021


The League of Women Voters of Northern Valley (LWVNV) reminds all citizens New Jersey's Primary Election takes place on Tuesday, June 8, 2021. To prepare voters in Bergen County for what they need to do for the Primary Election, the League launched a 'Make a Voting Plan' campaign, especially for first-time voters. 

The New Jersey Primary Election allows members of a political party to choose a candidate to represent them in the General Election in November. In New Jersey, only voters who are registered members of a political party may participate in nominating that party's candidates. Unaffiliated voters can declare a party when voting in a primary up to and including Primary Election Day. They may declare their affiliation in person at the polls on Primary Election Day or upon casting their mail-in ballot. Currently, only the Republican and Democratic parties use a primary election system to select nominees. 


WHERE TO VOTE: POLLING SITES

Unlike the 2020 elections, local polling sites will be open for machine in-person voting for the Primary Election on June 8. Voters may find their polling location online at www.lwvnj.org. A polling location will also be shown on the sample ballot, which should be received about a week before Election Day. 






VOTING EARLY: MAIL-IN BALLOTS

Voters may vote early using a mail-in ballot for the Primary Election. Mail-in ballots are available to all registered voters after applying. To receive a mail-in ballot, contact the Bergen County Clerk's office by June 1, 2021. Voters may also apply in person at the Bergen County Clerk's office up until 3:00 p.m. on June 7, 2021. For information from the Bergen County Clerk's office, visit their website, www.bergencountyclerk.org, or contact 201-336-7006 or countyclerk@co.bergen.nj.us. Their office is located at One Bergen County Plaza, Room 380 in Hackensack, New Jersey 07601-9832. Voters may return mail-in-ballots using a ballot drop box, through the U.S. postal system, or in-person at the Bergen County Board of Elections office. For a list of drop box locations in Bergen County, check https://co.bergen.nj.us/bergen-county-board-of-elections/ballot-drop-box-locations. Mail-in ballots may not be dropped off at polling locations. The League encourages voters to return the mail-in ballot as soon as possible. The postage-paid ballot must be postmarked by Election Day, June 8 and received by the Bergen County Board of Elections within 144 hours or 6 days after the polls close. The ballot may also be brought in person to the Bergen County's Board of Elections Office or to a secure ballot drop box location before polls close on Election Day. The ballot can be tracked online at https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/vote-track-my-ballot.shtml 


KNOW THE CANDIDATES: VOTE411 

VOTE411.org, a "one-stop-shop" for election related information, provides nonpartisan information to the public with both general and state-specific information on the election process. Find out about candidate debates and forums taking place in your municipality, including events moderated by the League of Women Voters. This handy tool will also publish voters guides electronically by the beginning of June. To obtain additional information about the June primary, visit the League of Women Voters of New Jersey at www.lwvnj.org and www.VOTE411.org or contact mmarks@lwvnj.org. 


The League of Women Voters of Northern Valley services 29 municipalities in Bergen County: Alpine, Bergenfield, Cliffside Park, Closter, Cresskill, Demarest, Dumont, Edgewater, Emerson, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Fort Lee, Hackensack, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Leonia, Montvale, New Milford, Northvale, Norwood, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, River Vale, Rockleigh, Tenafly, Washington Township, Westwood, and Woodcliff Lake. 




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Proudly serving Northeast Bergen County area families in Closter, Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood, Old Tappan, Emerson, Hillsdale, Montvale, Park Ridge, River Vale, Westwood, and Woodcliff Lake since 2010.