Every State, Every Vote: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy Establishes Vote-By-Mail Election for July Primary

Murphy: “No one should have to choose between their health and exercising their right to vote.”

On Friday, Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order automatically sending every registered voter a pre-paid mail-in ballot or application for the state’s July 7th primary. This measure ensures all New Jersey voters will have the opportunity to cast their vote without risking their health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The governor’s order also maintains that at least one in-person polling station will be open in every municipality for those who need it, and that at least 50 percent of polling locations in each county shall be open provided that sufficient poll workers are available.
Read more about Gov. Murphy’s executive order below and learn how Democratic governors are fighting to expand access to the ballot box at EveryStateEveryVote.com.
CBS News: New Jersey governor announces July primary will be vote-by-mail
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced on Friday the state’s July 7 primary would largely be conducted by vote-by-mail, saying “no one should have to choose between their health and exercising their right to vote.” After New York, New Jersey has been one of the hardest hit states by the coronavirus pandemic.
“BREAKING: Our July 7th primary will be a primarily vote-by-mail election,” Murphy wrote on Twitter Friday afternoon. “ALL registered Democratic and Republican voters will receive a postage-paid vote-by-mail ballot. ALL unaffiliated and inactive voters will receive a postage-paid vote-by-mail ballot application.”
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Politico: Murphy’s plan for the primary: expanded vote-by-mail, limited in-person voting
Gov. Phil Murphy today plans to announce a vast expansion of mail-in voting for the July 7 primary but will stop short of making it an exclusively vote-by-mail election, a source close to Murphy tells POLITICO.
The plan, to be announced by the governor at his daily press conference today, is to have county clerks automatically send mail-in ballots to the state’s 2.3 million Democrats and 1.3 million Republicans, according to the source. The state’s 2.4 million unaffiliated voters would be sent applications for vote-by-mail ballots.
In-person polling places will be available for people, but those ballots will be provisional, according to the source, who requested anonymity in advance of a formal announcement by the governor. Counties will be asked to limit the number of in-person polling places and ensure those open can accommodate social distancing.
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NJ.com: N.J.’s July 7 primary election will be mostly vote-by-mail during coronavirus pandemic, Murphy says
New Jersey has already moved its upcoming primary elections — which include races for president, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House — from June 2 to July 7 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, Gov. Phil Murphy has signed an executive order to make the elections mostly be vote-by-mail, though each county will have a limited number of in-person polling places.
Murphy announced Friday that all registered Democratic and Republican voters will receive a mail-in ballot with prepaid postage to vote in the July 7 primary. Unaffiliated or inactive voters will get an application to apply for mail-in ballots, the governor said.
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NorthJersey.com: NJ primary election will be held mostly by mail, Gov. Murphy says
New Jersey will conduct its July presidential primary election using primarily mail-in ballots, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Friday.
Just as the effort to slow the coronavirus pandemic has altered so many aspects of daily life, it has changed the state’s elections. Murphy earlier pushed back the primary election, typically the first Tuesday in June, to July 7, in the hopes that voters could vote in person. 
Murphy said registered voters would automatically receive a vote-by-mail application ahead of the election. In-person polling places would be available in each municipality on July 7, he said. Social distancing and frequent cleaning at polling locations are required.
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Insider NJ: Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order to Protect Public Health by Mailing Every Registered Voter a VBM Ballot or Application Ahead of the Primary Election
In an effort to protect all New Jersey voters from the spread of COVID-19, Governor Phil Murphy on Friday signed an executive order to create a modified vote-by-mail election for the July 7th Primary. The order requires that each county’s elections officials send vote-by-mail ballots to all registered Democratic and Republican voters and send VBM ballot applications to unaffiliated and inactive voters. All VBM ballots and VBM ballot applications will come with pre-paid postage.
“No one should have to choose between their health and exercising their right to vote,” said Governor Murphy. “By providing vote-by-mail ballots and applications, New Jersey voters will be able to safely participate in our democracy as the pandemic continues to threaten our public health.”
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WNYC: New Jersey To Hold July 7th Primary Election Mostly By Mail
Governor Phil Murphy had already pushed back the elections from June to July as the COVID-19 outbreak swept through the state. Now, Murphy says residents should get ready for a primary with limited in-person voting.
Every registered Democrat and Republican will receive a mail-in ballot with prepaid postage. Unaffiliated or inactive voters will get an application for a vote-by-mail ballot.
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WABC: Coronavirus News: New Jersey primary to be mainly vote-by-mail election
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said on Friday that the state’s upcoming primary election will be largely vote-by-mail.
The state’s primary is set for July 7.
Murphy said all registered Democratic and Republican voters will receive a postage-paid vote-by-mail ballot, while all unaffiliated and inactive voters will receive a postage-paid vote-by-mail ballot application.
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