Burlington County will be using a new fleet of voting machines during the upcoming New Jersey Primary Election and voters have opportunities to become familiar with the new equipment and procedures before heading to the poll.
The new machines consist of electronic ballot marking devices and tabulators and are the same as the ones acquired by Burlington County in 2021 for early voting. The June 4 primary will be the first time the new equipment will be used across the county at all polling locations on Election Day.
To assist voters, a computer animation video was created to walk voters through the process of voting with the new machines. It can be viewed on the Burlington County Election Services page and provides a 3-minute overview of how to vote with the new equipment.
The video is located here: https://www.co.burlington.nj.us/593/Election-Voter-Services
A ballot marking device and tabulator are also on display at the County Corner site in the Moorestown Mall every Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM, so voters have the opportunity to inspect the machines and familiarize themselves with the technology. Elections staff will be on site to answer questions about the new machines and provide other assistance related to voting and election procedures, including vote-by-mail and early voting options.
“The new machines are easy to use and many Burlington County voters are already familiar with them from early voting,” said Burlington County Superintendent of Elections Dawn Marie Addiego. “For voters who haven’t participated in early voting, the machines will look different. Because of the change, we’re strongly encouraging voters to watch the video or visit the mall site to learn how the new machines work before heading to the polls on Election Day.”
The following is a brief rundown of some additional things Burlington County voters should know about the primary election:
Why the change to new machines?
Burlington County upgraded to new machines because the older fleet of switch-based machines reached the end of their useful life after being used in every election for the last 25 years.
The new machines have been extensively vetted and are simple to use and highly secure. The new machines produce a voter verifiable paper record of every ballot, which is an additional level of security absent from the old fleet.
Thousands of Burlington County voters have already used the same technology during the early voting periods during the last three years.
Burlington County voters can cast ballots early at any of seven early-voting sites.
During the early voting period from May 29 through June 2, a registered voter from any of Burlington County’s 40 municipalities can go to any one of the seven early voting locations. This is different from Election Day when voters should go to their assigned polling spots in their town of residence.
All seven sites are open from 10 AM to 8 PM on May 29, May 30, May 31 and June 1 and 10 AM to 6 PM on Sunday, June 2.
The early voting sites are at the following locations:
- Chesterfield at the Chesterfield Township Municipal Building, 295 Bordentown-Chesterfield Road;
- Evesham at the Gibson House Community Center, 535 East Main Street, Marlton;
- Medford at the Medford Town Hall, 49 Union Street;
- Mount Laurel at Rowan College at Burlington County Student Success Center, 1500 College Circle
- Pemberton Township at the Pemberton Community Library, 16 Broadway, Browns Mills;
- Tabernacle at the Tabernacle Rescue Squad, 134 New Road;
- Willingboro at the Willingboro Public Library, 220 Campbell Drive.
Any registered voter is eligible to cast their ballot at an early voting location. However, voters who have already requested or received a vote-by-mail ballot will not be permitted to vote with a machine during the early voting period or on Election Day. They will be allowed to vote with a paper provisional ballot.
Primary voting is open only to registered Republican and Democrat voters. Unaffiliated voters can participate but must declare their party affiliation to either Democrat or Republican before casting a ballot.
Vote-by-mail voting is still an option
Vote-by-mail ballots have been sent to registered Republicans and Democrats who requested them. Registered Democrats and Republicans can still request a ballot from the Burlington County Clerk’s Office with the following form: https://www.co.burlington.nj.us/996/Vote-by-Mail-Information .
After May 28, all vote-by-mail applications must be requested in-person at the County Clerk’s Office at 50 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly. All requests must be made by 3 PM on June 3. No vote-by-mail ballots will be issued after that deadline.
Completed vote-by-mail ballots can be submitted through the U.S. Post Office or placed in one of 28 secure drop boxes located throughout the county. Burlington County drop box locations can be found online at: https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/vote-secure-drop-boxes.shtml .
Voters may hand-deliver completed VBM ballots to the Burlington County Board of Elections Office at 50 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly. There is a drop box located immediately outside the building.
All completed VBM ballots must be postmarked, placed in a secure drop box or hand-delivered to the Election Board before 8 PM on June 4.
Election Day voting
Primary voters casting ballots in-person with a machine on June 4 should go to their regular poling locations. To find your Election Day polling site, go to https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/vote-polling-location.shtml .
Residents with questions about the election and voting process can call the Burlington County Elections hotline at 609-265-VOTE.