VOTING IN MONMOUTH COUNTY TO PROCEED

Voting in Monmouth County will proceed despite the best efforts of Hurricane Sandy, says Monmouth County Clerk M. Claire French. French says the County Board of Elections is in the process of assessing the 458 voting districts in the county’s 53 municipalities and making alternate arrangements for districts adversely affected by the devastating storm.

“There are 425,635 registered voters in Monmouth County, and we are making sure everybody has the opportunity to cast their vote in the wake of the storm,” she says.

Mrs. French stressed that any resident who is a registered voter can vote in person any day between now and Monday at the Board of Elections Office, 300 Halls Mill Road, Freehold. The office is open Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. To streamline the in-person registration process, voters can go online and download and complete the Vote By Mail Application, which is also necessary for voting in person.

“Roughly half of the 916 voting machines in the county have been delivered, and we are working to ensure delivery of the remaining machines,” she adds.

For residents in areas where normal polling places may be unreachable or uninhabitable due to the storm such as Union Beach, Keansburg, and Sea Bright, alternate locations are being established. For a list of alternate voting locations, voters should check the Monmouth County website at http://www.visitmonmouth.com and click on the County Clerk’s Election Division page. A complete list of alternate sites will be posted by Saturday.