TRENTON – A total
of 4,832,825 New Jersey
residents were registered to vote after
the close of registration for the November
8, 2005 General Election, Attorney General
Peter C. Harvey announced today.
The new statewide voter registration figures
were tallied following the close of voter
registration on October 11, according
to Division of Elections Director Ramon
de la Cruz. The overall number reflects
registrations submitted to the Division
of Elections, county Superintendents of
Election and county Commissioners of Registration.
Of those registered,
1,157,177 declared themselves Democrat,
893,854 declared themselves Republican,
19,792 registered as Independent and 2,760,558
declared themselves unaffiliated. In addition,
a total of 1,444 New Jerseyans registered
as alternative party voters, including:
714 Green Party, 506 Libertarian Party
, 105 Reform Party, 67 U.S. Constitution
Party, and 52 Natural Law Party.
Registrants were able
to obtain registration forms from the
Division of Elections and the Division
Web site at www.NJElections.org.
Registration forms could also be obtained
from county Commissioners of Registration,
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission offices,
WIC offices, the Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation, the Division of Developmental
Disabilities, the Division of Medical
Assistance and Health Services, the Commission
on the Blind and Visually Impaired, and
the offices of the Pharmaceutical Assistance
to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD) Lifeline
Special Benefits Program.
Registration forms were also available
from municipal clerks, Armed Forces recruitment
offices, the Division of Taxation, worker’s
compensation offices, the Division of
Employment Services, state psychiatric
hospitals, the Division of Fish, Game
and Wildlife, National Guard recruitment
offices, public libraries and New Jersey
Transit offices. In addition, the Attorney
General’s Office made registration
forms available while conducting numerous
voter registration outreach events throughout
the year.
Any
Eligible N.J. Voter Can Now Vote by Absentee
Ballot
Attorney General Harvey,
the state’s Chief Election Official,
reminded voters that it is now the law
in New Jersey that any eligible voter
who chooses to vote by absentee ballot
may do so. Previously, eligible New Jerseyans
who sought to vote by absentee ballot
were required to meet certain specific
absentee criteria.
Director de la Cruz noted
that registered voters who want to obtain
an absentee ballot must do so by 3 p.m.
on Monday, November 7. The deadline for
mail-in applications is Tuesday, November
1, 2005. Completed absentee ballots must
be received by the county Board of Elections
by 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 8.
A listing
of the 2005 candidates and statewide public
questions can be found by visiting the
Division of Elections Web site at www.NJElections.org.
In addition, the Web site features an
on-line feedback form for disabled voters
who encounter accessibility problems at
polling places, contact information for
local election officials in the 21 counties,
and other useful election-related information.
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