Five things to know about registering to vote in New Jersey

Joseph P. Smith, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
·1 min read

New Jersey requires that a person registering to vote must be: a United States citizen; at least 17 years old, although you may not vote until you are 18. You must have lived in the state and your county at least 30 days before the election. You cannot be serving a sentence of incarceration for an indictable offense under the laws of this or another state or of the United States.

You can register online at Elections.NJ.gov or by filling out a paper application. Paper applications can be downloaded at Elections.NJ.gov or picked up at New Jersey Division of Elections, County Commissioners of Registration and Municipal Clerk offices. You also can register at the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (www.nj.gov/mvc). Call 1-877-NJVOTER (1-877-658-6837) to get an application mailed to you.

You will need to present your date of birth and some form of identification to register online. These IDs can be a current driver’s license or a non-driver ID from the Motor Vehicle Commission, You can also use the last four numbers of your Social Security number but in that case you must be able to provide a digital signature.

It’s OK if someone helps you fill out the registration form, but that person has to put on the form their own name and address.

Democrat vs republican poll, democratic decision and primary voting conceptual idea with Vote election campaign button badges and the united states of america flag
Democrat vs republican poll, democratic decision and primary voting conceptual idea with Vote election campaign button badges and the united states of america flag

When you move, you must let the registrar know your new address. This includes moving within your home county as well as to a new county. This way, the poll book will have your name to be checked.

Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.

Have a tip? Reach out at jsmith@thedailyjournal.com. Support local journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Voter registration laws cater to in-person, online options but have ID