New Jersey Resources for Voters with Disabilities

In New Jersey, you have the right to the following as protected by federal law. Election staff must respect these rights:

• Accessible voter registration
• Accessible polling places
• Policies and procedures that do not discriminate against you based on your disability
• Accessible, available, and operational voting systems, features
• Your service animal to accompany you inside the polling place
• The right to vote privately and independently or with assistance, if needed
• Assistance from a person of choice, who can be a friend, family member, or poll worker (but not your boss, union agent, or a candidate unless this person is your family member)
• Election Staff trained to understand the rights above.

Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot. You can return your ballot by mail, secure drop box, or in-person at your Board of Elections office.

The Application is available in English on our website with a step-by-step process, and also available here in Spanish. (Scroll down to your county and select the Spanish version of their mail-in ballot application.) Any voter can apply for a mail-in absentee ballot.

Federal law requires assistance in registering to vote from offices that provide public assistance or state-funded programs serving people with disabilities. Responsibilities include:

• Providing voter registration forms
• Assisting voters in completing the forms
• Transmitting completed forms to the appropriate election official
• All aspects of voter registration must be accessible

• You may request assistance from a poll worker or receive assistance from a person of your choice with the following exceptions:  
  • your employer, an agent of your employer
  • an officer or agent of your union
  • a candidate on the ballot
     
• A poll worker cannot force you to accept assistance.

• You can request a mail-in ballot to be mailed to you for every election until you tell them to stop on your mail-in voting application.
   
• You can have a family member or someone who is registered to vote in your county retrieve your ballot for you from the County Clerk’s office. 
  • You need to indicate their name on the bottom of your application.
  • They can not assist more than three voters, unless they are helping up to five family members who all reside in the same house.
  • They can not be a candidate on the ballot.
     
• You can also have someone return your ballot for you to the Board of Elections office. 
  • Your helper must sign the return envelope. 
  • They can not assist more than three voters unless they are helping out five family members who all reside in the same house. 
  • They can not be a candidate on the ballot.

Federal law requires polling places to meet minimum compliance standards for individuals with special needs. 

If you are unable to stand in line, you can:

• Request to be moved to the front of the line or refuse to be moved to the front of the line
• Request that a chair be provided or refuse to accept a chair
• Request to have your place in line held and notified when it is your turn

An accessible ballot marking device should be available at all polling places for you to vote privately and independently.

You have the right to access a sample ballot.  Sample ballots can be found provided by your Local Election Office both in-person and online.

You can fill-out and submit online a Complaint Form to the New Jersey Secretary of State. This form is used for complaints regarding in-person voting.

You can also fill out a Violation of Civil Rights Complaint Form and submit it to the US Department of Justice by one of the following methods:

• Online, through the form’s submission process - this is the fastest method.
• By fax at (202) 616-9881. You MUST include “ATTN: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Complaints" at the top of your fax submission for it to be processed correctly.
• By mailing your form to: 
       U.S. Department of Justice
       Office of the Inspector General
       Investigations Division
       ATTN: Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Complaints
       950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
       Washington, DC 20530

For assistance with advocacy, protection of your voting rights, and other services, you may contact Disability Rights New Jersey.

For additional assistance, The National Network of ADA Centers can provide local contact information for other organizations you may wish to contact, including your Regional ADA Center or ADA Knowledge Translation Center, or Federal Agencies and Resources.

• Disability Rights New Jersey: Voting Guide
• New Jersey Voter Rights and Accessibility Information Portal
• Disability Rights New Jersey
• Voter Registration or Absentee Ballot Request
• Election Dates/Deadlines
• Election Official Directory
• US Vote Foundation's Voter Help Desk
• Department of Justice Civil Rights Violation Complaint Form
• Verified Voter Accessible Voting Machine Search
• New Jersey Voter Report Form for Polling Place Accessibility Concerns
• Disability Rights New Jersey