the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Village Manager Heather A. Mailander offers a reminder that Tuesday, October 13, 2020 is the last day for residents to register to vote for the November 3, 2020 Presidential General Election in the State of New Jersey. At the Presidential General Election, voters will cast ballots for President of the United States, U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, Bergen County Freeholders as well as State and Municipal Public Questions. It is up to each and every American Citizen to exercise their right to vote.
In order to be eligible to vote, a person must be an American Citizen, be 18 years old on or before November 3, 2020, and be a resident of New Jersey and Bergen County. All Bergen County residents may register to vote at the Office of the Superintendent of Elections, located at One Bergen County Plaza, Room 380, in Hackensack or in the Ridgewood Village Clerk’s Office, 5th Floor, Ridgewood Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, in Ridgewood, during normal business hours. In addition, on October 13, 2020, Ridgewood residents may register to vote from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 P.M., in the Village Clerk’s Office in Village Hall and from 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the lobby of the Ridgewood Public Library located at 125 North Maple Avenue, next door to Village Hall. Voter registration may also be done on-line at:
https://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/voter-registration.shtml
In light of the coronavirus pandemic and Executive Order No. 177, ALL REGISTERED VOTERS WILL AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE A VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT for the November 3, 2020 General Election. NO SAMPLE BALLOTS WILL BE SENT TO YOU FOR THE NOVEMBER PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION; INSTEAD, YOU WILL RECEIVE A POSTCARD WITH YOUR ASSIGNED POLLING PLACE LISTED ON IT. Ballots will be mailed out beginning next week. You may return your postage paid Mail-in ballot via USPS or bring it to the Ballot Box, located off of the main parking lot, by the lobby doors of Village Hall. You may also bring your voted and sealed ballot to your assigned polling place, sign the registration book, and then place it in the smaller ballot box in your assigned polling place. The lines to sign the registration book may be long on Election Day, so it is recommended that you either mail your ballot through USPS or put it into the ballot box off of the main parking lot, by the lobby doors of Village Hall.
The deadline to put mail-in ballots into the ballot box is November 3, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. You may also bring your mail-in ballot to your assigned polling place, with a deadline of November 3, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. If you mail your ballot through USPS, it must be postmarked by November 3, 2020 and must be received by the Bergen County Board of Elections no later than November 10, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.
Please click on this link for an informational video on how to fill out your Mail-In Ballot: https://youtu.be/Z0nva8m00xU.
All voters are encouraged to vote as early as possible, as the Bergen County Board of Elections has been authorized to begin counting Mail-In Ballots on October 24, 2020. In addition, the ballot drop box, which is red, white and blue and located off of the main parking lot, by the lobby doors of Village Hall, is the easiest way to send in your ballot. This drop box is emptied on a daily basis by workers from the Bergen County Board of Elections, one Republican and one Democrat, who are driven by a Bergen County Sheriff’s Officer so that the ballots remain secure.
Once you have mailed in or put your mail-in ballot into the ballot box,
njelections.org has a site, “TRACK YOUR BALLOT” which permits voters to see if their ballot has been received by the Board of Elections. Please wait 3-5 days after mailing your ballot or putting it into the ballot box to use this website.
If you have a disability (only those who are blind, unable to write or illiterate) which makes you unable to vote on your Mail-in Ballot, and need an accessible ballot, please contact (201) 336-7020 or you may go to your assigned polling place, which will provide access to an in-person accessible voting device on General Election Day.
If you do not have a disability, choose not to vote on a Mail-In Ballot and instead go to your assigned polling place on Election Day, only Provisional Paper Ballots will be available to cast your vote. This is because the ADA compliant Voting Machine is only for voters who have a disability. PLEASE NOTE THAT EACH PROVISIONAL BALLOT TAKES AT LEAST 5 MINUTES TO COMPLETE, AND THAT THERE WILL BE LONG LINES AT ALL OF THE POLLING PLACES, SO CONSIDER PLACING YOUR MARKED BALLOT INTO THE OUTSIDE BALLOT BOX, OFF OF THE MAIN PARKING LOT BY THE LOBBY DOORS OF RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE HALL.
A new regulation allows voters whose ballots are rejected for “a missing or discrepant signature” to be notified and given the opportunity to CURE the signature defect “in accordance with the procedures established by the Secretary of State.”
The polling places for the Village of Ridgewood for the November 3, 2020 General Election are as follows. As a reminder, unless you are blind, illiterate or unable to fill out a Mail-In Ballot, you will be voting on a Provisional paper ballot at your assigned polling place:
| District Number | Location |
| 1 through 9 | RIDGEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY 125 NORTH MAPLE AVE. – AUDITORIUM |
| 11, 12, 14, 15, & 16 | GEORGE WASHINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL 155 WASHINGTON PL. – GYM |
| 10, 13, 17, 18, & 19 | SOMERVILLE SCHOOL 45 SOUTH PLEASANT AVE. – GYM |
If a voter has moved from one election district to another within Ridgewood or will move to another town in Bergen County before November 3, 2020, please notify the Bergen County Superintendent of Elections’ office as soon as possible so that a Mail-In Ballot can be sent to you, at your current address. If you have any questions, please call 201-336-6110 for assistance.
The Bergen County Superintendent of Elections’ office is responsible for Voter Registration and all associated concerns, Issuing Voter Acknowledgement Cards, Maintaining Custody of Voting Machines and Poll Books, as well as other duties relating to the enforcement of election laws as per N.J.S.A. Title 19.
Bergen County Superintendent of Elections Patricia DiCostanzo and Deputy Theresa O’Connor are available to answer any question that you might have at 201-336-6109. You may also call the Ridgewood Village Clerk’s Office at 201-670-5500 ext. 205 or ext. 206 with any election questions..