ESSEX COUNTY TO PROVIDE FREE POSTAGE ON VOTE-BY-MAIL APPLICATIONS

Today, Essex County Clerk Christopher J. Durkin announced that Essex County will provide free postage for all Vote-by-Mail ballot applications. This is in addition to postage-paid Vote-by-Mail ballots, which are already provided to voters in Essex County.

“The message to voters is simple: you don’t need to worry about postage to vote or to register to vote,” said Essex County Clerk Christopher J. Durkin. “Making Vote-by-Mail applications postage-paid is just the latest way that Essex County is working to lower barriers to voting and increase participation in our democracy. I’m grateful for the partnership of Project Ready and our friends in the non-profit community who have continually advocated for and collaborated with us to make our voting system even more accessible to everyone.”

The new vote-by-mail application form can be downloaded from: https://www.essexclerk.com/_Content/pdf/forms/vote-mail-ballot-essex-english.pdf.

The clerk’s office estimates there are 43,000 vote-by-mail voters across Essex County.

Project Ready, a Newark-based non-profit which advocates for voting rights and civic engagement, has worked closely with the Clerk’s office to make this policy a reality.

“I am thrilled about this news,” said Shennell McCloud, CEO of Project Ready. “For years, we’ve heard from Newark voters that paying for postage for their vote-by-mail application is an unnecessary barrier, and we have been working collaboratively with the Clerk’s office for this simple, but meaningful change. I applaud and thank County Executive DiVincenzo, the Board of Commissioners, and Clerk Durkin for their continued leadership towards achieving our common goal of making voting easier.”

Voting access – including making vote-by-mail applications free – has been a key part of Project Ready’s policy agenda for several years. Project Ready has also championed increased access to early voting, same-day voter registration, and other initiatives designed to increase access to the ballot.