Freeholders Oppose Exclusive Mail-In Ballot Use
FREEHOLD, NJ – The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders voiced their collective opinion on mail-in voting last Thursday by unanimously passing a resolution to oppose the exclusive use of mail-in ballots for November’s general election, as well as all elections in the future.
“My fellow Freeholders and I are gravely concerned as the exclusive mail-in ballot ‘experiment’ has been difficult at best and should not be conducted when selecting individuals to lead Boards of Educations, political parties and bodies of government,” said Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone in a release. “As we have seen repeatedly in the past, using mail-in ballots increases the risk of voter fraud and causes delays in counting ballots.”
Individuals in the state have already been charged with voter fraud in connection to the state Attorney General in Paterson's May 12 city council election, as several persons have been charged with illegally collecting and processing mail-in ballots in Paterson.
Other officials throughout the state, including New Jersey Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce, who represents the state’s 26th district in Essex County, has called in-person voting "as safe or safer" than other methods like mail-in voting. Read more: NJ Assemblywoman: Coronavirus Shouldn't Stop In-Person Voting
In addition, the Freeholders stated that voters should continue to be given the option for ‘how to vote,’ in addition to ‘who to vote for’.
“The Board of Chosen Freeholders believes that voter choice should refer to ‘how to vote,’ in addition to ‘who to vote for,’ in any given election cycle,” said the Freeholder Director. “On behalf of the Board, I urge the Secretary of State and 21 County Clerks to utilize in-person voting in conjunction with mail-in balloting come Tuesday, November 3. After regularly corresponding with the Governor’s Office about this matter, we hope that a decision is made before our next Freeholder Meeting.”
A certified true copy of the resolution was submitted to the New Jersey Secretary of State, Governor, President of the New Jersey State Senate, Speaker of the General Assembly, Monmouth County Legislative Delegation, New Jersey Association of Counties and the other 20 Boards of Chosen Freeholders throughout New Jersey.
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This article originally appeared on the Freehold Patch
