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JON S. CORZINE |
Nina Mitchell Wells |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Press Office |
Secretary of State and Division of Elections offer Trenton, NJ - In an effort to identify people who may not have been offered the opportunity to register to vote when they applied for a driver's license or those whose driver's license information was different from their voter registration information, the Secretary of State's Office is mailing letters that include voter registration forms to ensure that those individuals have the opportunity to register to vote. The Division of Elections, using records from the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) and the Statewide Voter Registration System, identified 880,000 residents going back to 2004 who may not be registered to vote or who may have such discrepancies. Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells and Robert Giles, director of New Jersey's Division of Elections, offered clarification today on the Division's mailing of approximately 300,000 letters to residents in five counties. The mailing was initiated to comply with requirements set forth in the National Voter Registration Act, and followed a memorandum of understanding entered into by the state Division of Elections, the Department of the Public Advocate and the MVC. “We're taking all possible measures to minimize the impact of this process on voters as we update the database, and state and local election officials have been working tirelessly to ensure a smooth election process on November 4,” noted Director Giles. “To comply with National Voter Registration Act, the Division of Elections, the MVC, and the Public Advocate agreed to identify citizens who visited an MVC office for a driver's license transaction but may not have been given an opportunity to register to vote.” In cases where a discrepancy in information was discovered, a letter was sent to correct the information of the voter. The discrepancy could have been as minor as a missing date of birth if the original registration occurred when only legal proof of being eighteen years of age was required, or if some aspect of the individual's name did not match on both an individual's voter registration record and A small percentage of people who received letters were registered voters who had been voting for years. Although they received a letter because of a minor discrepancy in their record, their status as registered voters was not changed and they will continue to be eligible to vote. “Following months of detailed and thorough review of our statewide voter database, it was our opinion that these were the appropriate people to be notified based on the requirements outlined under the National Voter Registration Act,” noted Secretary Wells. “Yet to achieve the most concise and accurate Statewide Voter Registration System possible, I have instructed Director Robert Giles . to work closely with the MVC and their technology staff to filter the list to include discrepancies deemed necessary for a voter to receive a letter. We have the utmost confidence this will be completed prior to the October 14 registration deadline.” Secretary Wells and Director Giles urge any voter with questions regarding their registration status should contact either their County Commissioner of Registration, their Municipal Clerk or call the Division of Elections Hotline at 877-658-6837. If you received a letter and are worried that you may not be registered to vote, please fill out a form and mail it before the October 14 deadline. Anyone who has voted in the last election and has not moved to a new address should still be registered to vote. # # # |
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