3 Ways to Vote: Understanding the Options

There are more options than ever to make the voting process easier and more convenient.

By Barbara A. Preston | October 13, 2026

First, Learn About Your Candidates

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Montgomery School Board Candidates

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3 Ways to Vote

• Go to Your Polling Place on November 3

Vote in person at your polling place, from 6 am to 8  pm on Election Day.

Go to VOTE.NJ.GOV to find your Polling Location.

• In-Person Early Voting

This option enables all registered voters to cast their ballot in person, using a voting machine, during a nine-day period prior to Election Day. 

You can choose to vote, in person, when it’s most convenient for your schedule. No matter where you live in the county, you can vote your specific ballot at any of your county’s designated in-person early voting sites. Find your county’s sites at VOTE.NJ.GOV.

In-person early voting sites will be open Saturday, October 24 through November 1. Hours will be Mon.–Sat., 10 am–8 pm and Sun., 10 am–6 pm. 

Ballot Drop Boxes will be available for ballot drop off 24 hours daily until 8 pm on Election Night, beginning November 3. These boxes will be under video surveillance at all times. There is a box at the Montgomery Municipal Bldg., 100 Community Drive, in Skillman that may be used by any Somerset County resident.

• Vote-by-Mail

Registered voters can apply for a vote-by-mail ballot by following the instructions found at VOTE.NJ.GOV or contacting their County Clerk. In Montgomery and Rocky Hill, that would be the Somerset County Clerk’s Office.

The clerk’s office has started to send Vote-by-Mail ballots to everyone who requested one. 

Somerset County residents who do not receive one by October 9 should call Clerk Steve Peter’s office at 908.231.7013. Or, registered voters can go to his office at 20 Grove Street in Somerville (free parking in the deck off High Street) and get a ballot on the spot. The last day to get a ballot in person from the Clerk’s office is November 2.

VOTE and RETURN your ballot in one of the following ways… 

• Secure Ballot Drop Box:

Place your mail-in ballot in one of your county’s secure ballot drop boxes by 8:00 pm on Tuesday, November 3. Drop box locations can be found at VOTE.NJ.GOV. 

• Board of Elections Office: 

Deliver your mail-in ballot in person to your county’s Board of Elections Office by 8:00 pm on November 3. County Election Officials’ contact information can be found at VOTE.NJ.GOV. 

• Mail: 

Your mail-in ballot MUST be postmarked on or before 8 pm on November 3 and be received by your county’s Board of Elections on or before November 9. 

Mail-in ballots CAN NOT be returned to your early voting site or polling place.

Sample Ballots Are Not Vote-by-Mail Ballots!

In mid-October, the Somerset County clerk will mail sample ballots to all voters. 

“This has led to the false rumor that I mail live ballots to everyone, even voters who have not requested Vote-by-Mail ballots,” Peter said. “Sample ballots are just that: a sample to show voters what is on the ballot. Sample ballots are not Vote-by-Mail ballots, and sample ballots cannot be voted.”

Clerk Peter warns that a sample ballot is not a vote-by-mail ballot.

Somerset County Clerk Steve Peter.

The mailing of the sample ballots is determined by the Board of Elections, which is separate from the county clerk’s office. Sample ballots are also posted on Somerset County Clerk's website. 

If you receive a sample ballot for someone no longer at your address, please mark it as such and return it. This ensures that the voter rolls are kept up to date. 

Readers with questions or concerns, may phone or email the county clerk’s office at 908.231.7013 or countyclerk@somersetcountynj.gov.