For Immediate Release:
July 24, 2020

Freeholders unanimously pass resolution opposing exclusive use of mail-in ballots for General Election

FREEHOLD, NJ – The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders unanimously passed the resolution opposing the exclusive use of mail-in ballots for this November’s General Election, and all future elections, at the livestreamed regular public meeting held on Thursday, July 23.

“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. “As we have seen repeatedly in the past, using mail-in ballots increases the risk of voter fraud and causes delays in counting ballots.”

This year, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal has already charged individuals with illegally collecting and processing ballots in an election, which occurred in Paterson. The Attorney General’s charges against the two winning City Council candidates alleges that votes had been cast in the names of deceased residents and those who have indicated they did not receive vote-by-mail ballots.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, New Jersey law permitted residents to request mail-in ballots for any reason, therefore enhancing voter choice, while others still preferred to cast their ballot electronically on Election Day in order to fully assess the latest information available.

“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 Freeholder Director Arnone. “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.”

The Clerk of the Board forwarded a certified true copy of this resolution 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.

For more information regarding this Resolution and the Freeholder Meeting Agenda, go to www.visitmonmouth.com.

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