New idea in Union County for vote-by-mail could save money

Union County voters who utilize vote-by-mail have a new option that allows them to pick up the right ballot for their address.

County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi says county residents can come to her Elizabeth office before the Nov. 5 general election to receive the customized ballot for their district and ward, printed on request.

Rajoppi said this is new technology that she is rolling out for the first time in the state.

"The pilot program allows us to give a voter a customized ballot for their particular district and ward. You know, every county is broken down into jurisdictions called districts, and in Union County, we have over 400 of them," she explained.

That means her office would have to create 800 different ballots, including ones in Spanish, for a primary.

She says this new method will hopefully reduce administrative costs by eliminating the printing of thousands of ballots that may never be used. If it works out, the service will be expanded.

She says other counties have also expressed an interest.

"They're very interested to know if this is successful. They do plan on pursuing it in the future. It's sort of wait and see how it goes in Union."

Joe Cutter is the senior news anchor on New Jersey 101.5