Op-Ed: Bergen County Clerk Discusses Election Day Challenges

On Nov. 6, 2012, Bergen County voters will participate in the most challenging election in the State of New Jersey.

Similar to other counties in the state, voters in Bergen County will participate in electing a President and Vice President, a United States Senator, two Freeholders and various mayors and council members.

What makes Bergen unique is that we will be the only county which will be printing the ballots in English, Spanish AND Korean. The election is further complicated by recent legislation giving local governing bodies OR local school boards OR “citizens through petition” the right to move their annual April school elections to Election Day (Nov. 6, 2012).  

For those entities considering changing the school election to November please be aware that the deadline to approve a resolution to change is Feb. 17, 2012 with immediate notification to the County Clerk.

The “citizen through petition” option requires signatures of 15 percent of the number of legally qualified voters from that municipality who voted in the last general election for President and Vice President.  This petition must be filed with the Board of Education at least 60 days before the General Election.  The question will appear on the general election ballot.  If the question is defeated, another petition cannot be filed within one year.

Once a school election is moved to November, no action can be taken (either by petition or resolution) for 4 years to move the election back to April.

The County Clerk is the filing officer for nominating petitions for November school elections.  The County Clerk also designs the general election ballot and the law requires this office to have the school portion in a separate section of the ballot.

To help navigate through this busy election, the Office of the Bergen County Clerk has developed 2012 Election Calendars and Election Reference Guides that have been distributed to all municipal clerks and elected officials.  In addition, all pertinent election forms will soon be available on-line atwww.co.bergen.nj.us/countyclerk/.

Our goal is to improve technology in the County Clerk’s office and eventually provide real-time election results on-line.

Despite the challenges this election brings to this office, my wish is for the largest voter turnout ever.  The right to vote IS the cornerstone of our democracy.  The many preparations that are underway are aimed at making this an efficiently run election that strongly encourages our citizens to express their Constitutional right –the right to vote.

- Bergen County Clerk John S. Hogan