Who are we?

• Did you use a Ballot Drop Box this year? THAT WAS US.
• Did you use the Track My Ballot voter portal? THAT WAS US.
• Do you worry that your ballot will get rejected due to your signature not matching in any way? Well, don’t worry because WE WROTE THE LAW that prohibits your ballot from being rejected due to signature mismatch or missing signature.

ATNJ Education Fund has led the largest expansion of Vote By Mail in New Jersey in the last three years. The growth of voting by mail has increased dramatically with our efforts reaching nearly 615,000 registered infrequent voters. Our goal was to instill a new voting habit since Election Day Polling Place voting presented obstacles among many under-represented communities. The model state on VBM, Colorado, showed that adding VBM as an option resulted in increased turnout in the aggregate. Prior to the pandemic, due to our voter outreach work and the work of many other organizations, we saw a dramatic increase in votes cast by VBM ballots.

Contact

Legislators, legislative/policy staffers, reporters: for further clarification or information needed for legislation, please contact Winn@ATNJEF.org

Barriers to Election Day voting

Voting on Election Day at local polling stations is a barrier and a burden to many voters across economic, education, racial, and mobility spectrums. This includes those who do not have the means of transportation to get to their polling place or the money needed for transportation. It’s also a barrier for those with mobility issues including those who are not physically able to get out of the house and polling places without handicap accessibility. It can be impossible to get to the polls during open hours if the voter cannot get off work in time before the polls close. For workers who work the second or third shift, multiple shifts, or 24-hour shifts, getting to their polling station in Election Day is nearly impossible. The placement of polling stations and closures and consolidations have also been shown to negatively impact voters of color and minority communities. Voting from home with prepaid postage becomes an avenue for voters burdened by Election Day polling place voting.