HACKENSACK—Bergen County plans to mail ballots early and add unique postal barcodes to nearly 76,000 vote-by-mail envelopes ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, according to a Sept. 4 notice from the county clerk’s office.
The office said it expects to begin sending ballots to voters with active mail-in requests before Sept. 19 to help account for potential postal delays. It is also working with its printer and mailing partners to add an Intelligent Mail Barcode to each envelope in the initial mailing.
The notice cited ongoing election litigation but did not identify the cases or specify how their outcomes could affect local voting procedures. The clerk’s office said it is continuing to follow New Jersey law and existing vote-by-mail procedures.
According to the office, the county’s mail ballot envelopes meet U.S. Postal Service design standards, and a USPS mail-piece design analyst approved the updated design in 2021.
The envelope barcodes are separate from the process used to count votes. The clerk’s office said Bergen County’s voting equipment scans both sides of paper ballots and does not use barcodes or QR codes to tabulate votes. Every ballot cast has a paper trail that can be verified by a person, the notice said.
Voters awaiting mail ballots should contact the clerk’s office if they have not received one by Oct. 13, according to the notice.
The office encouraged voters to return completed ballots promptly, either through the mail or at one of the county’s 35 secure ballot drop boxes. Drop box locations are available through the county’s election website.
For ballots mailed during the week before Election Day, the office advised voters to request a free manual postmark at a post office counter.
Voters can check their ballot’s status through New Jersey’s voter information portal. The clerk’s office said voters whose ballots have not reached the Board of Elections within a week of mailing can request a replacement by mail, pick one up at the clerk’s office or vote provisionally during early voting or on Election Day.
The clerk’s office lists regular hours as Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with additional hours Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
In-person early voting will run Oct. 24 through Nov. 1 at 10 Bergen County locations. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the county’s early voting schedule.
Voters with questions can contact the county clerk’s elections office at 201-336-7020 or electionsclerk@bergencountynj.gov.