2022 Elections: Early Voting, Vote-By-Mail Drop Boxes In Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, NJ — If you are choosing to vote by mail for the 2022 election or you want to take advantage of the early voting, here is what you need to know about those options.

There is one vote-by-mail drop box in Lakewood, at the Northern Resource Center, 225 4th Street.

There are 19 drop box locations countywide where voters can securely submit completed ballots. A list of locations is available online at the New Jersey Elections page and the Ocean County Board of Elections website. All 19 drop boxes are accessible 24 hours a day, and all of them are subject to video surveillance and other security measures.

You also can vote early this year, during a nine-day window from Oct. 29-Nov. 6 at any of 10 early voting locations in Ocean County. Polling locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Appointments are not required, and accommodations will be made for voters with disabilities.

Registered voters also can vote in person at polling locations from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 8.
If you want a Vote-by-Mail ballot, you can request it by mail until Tuesday, Nov. 1. Download the application here. You also can request it in person at the Ocean County Clerk's Office, 118 Washington St., Toms River, until 3 p.m. on Nov 7.

In addition to the drop boxes, voters can mail their sealed ballots to the Board of Elections, or hand-deliver them to the Board of Elections Office at 129 Hooper Ave., Toms River. Delivered ballots must be personally returned by the voter or delivered by an authorized "ballot bearer" who agrees to hand-deliver it to the Election Board.

Ballot bearers may deliver no more than three ballots and must provide identification to the Election Board and sign the bearer book recording that they transported the ballots to the office and delivered them.

Completed vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked or placed in secure drop boxes or submitted to the Election Board office on or before 8 p.m. on Election Day, which is Nov. 8. Completed vote-by-mail ballots will not be accepted at regular polling sites for the November election.

Voters who have already received a vote-by-mail ballot or requested one this year will not be permitted to vote with a machine during the early voting period or on Election Day, and must complete and submit their vote-by-mail ballot or vote in-person with a provisional ballot.

Voters can check their registration and status online at Vote.NJ.Gov under the "Am I Registered?" tab. For any election-related questions or issues, call the Ocean County Elections office at 1-800-452-5254.

Here are the vote-by-mail drop box locations in Ocean County.

• Barnegat Library - 112 Burr Street, Barnegat
• Beachwood Library - 126 Beachwood Boulevard, Beachwood
• Berkeley Library - 30 Station Road, Bayville
• Brick Library - 301 Chambers Bridge Road, Brick
• Jackson Library - 2 Jackson Drive, Jackson
• Lacey Library - 10 E. Lacey Road, Forked River
• Lavallette Library (Upper Shores) - 112 Jersey City Avenue, Lavallette
• Little Egg Harbor Library - 290 Mathistown Road, Little Egg Harbor
• Long Beach Island Library - 217 S. Central Avenue, Surf City
• Manchester Library - 21 Colonial Drive, Manchester
• Northern Resource Center - 225 4th Street, Lakewood
• Ocean County Parking Garage - 3rd Floor, Madison Avenue, Toms River
• PIC, Inc. of Ocean County - 1959 Route 9, Toms River
• Plumsted Library - 119 Evergreen Road, New Egypt
• Point Pleasant Borough Library - 834 Beaver Dam Road, Point Pleasant
• Southern Resource Center - 179 South Main Street, Manahawkin
• Toms River Library - 101 Washington Street, Toms River
• Waretown Library- 112 Main Street, Waretown
• Whiting Reading Center/Library - 400 Lacey Road, Suite 5, Whiting