The Star Ledger NJ
written by Jarrett Renshaw and Jenna Portnoy, Statehouse Bureau
Thursday November 1, 2012
TRENTON — With election officials scrambling to prepare polling places pummeled by Hurricane Sandy, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno said today the state would deploy military trucks to serve as makeshift polling places and extend the deadline for requesting mail-in ballots.
Ernie Landante, a spokesman for Guadagno, said afterward that voters would have until the end of business today to request mail-in ballots, and that they could be returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day. The deadline had passed on Tuesday.
Landante said people can vote in person at the county clerk’s offices up until 3 p.m. next Monday, the same as in past elections.
In a directive Guadagno sent to county clerks today, she ordered them to determine by noon today which polling places would be accessible on Election Day.
She also ordered the clerks’ offices to remain open this weekend to help process the mail-in ballots.
In recent days, Gov. Chris Christie — reluctant to politicize the disaster — refused to address the state’s contingency plans for Election Day.
"In moments like this there are not Democratic or Republican neighborhoods," Christie said at the news conference in Moonachiwe, where he was accompanied by Guadagno. "They are New Jerseyans."
Before the announcement by Guadagno, who also serves as the secretary of State, Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin wanted to consolidate polling places. Ocean County Board of Elections Chairman George Gilmore was seeking approval to create mobile voting stations for residents in shelters or staying someplace else.
And Hudson County Clerk Barbara Netchert had already extended office hours to help boost early voting. But with the power still out in the county building in Jersey City, the hours are from 8 a.m. to sunset.
"I’d be open to 10 at night," Nechert said today, "but once the sun goes down, you can’t see."
With four days until Election Day, officials have been scrambling for ways to serve voters against the backdrop of one of the state’s largest natural disasters.
Durkin said he was assessing Essex county’s approximately 306 polling sites to determine which ones have power and which will be safe to use on Tuesday.
"Our first concern is to try to not displace any voters," he said.
He said the plan was to consolidate polling places where necessary and alert voters by email, by the media and post signs at sites if they’re moved.
Durkin said the county was also supplying paper ballots to supplement the machines, though they can survive the day without electricity. "Machines have a battery pack of 16 hours and it’s a 14-hour polling day," he said. "This is going to go right up to Monday night."
In Ocean County, Gilmore said he had been seeking state permission to create mobile voting stations. If approved, only barriers island residents and those in towns like Stafford Township, Little Egg Harbor and portions of Toms River would be allowed to vote by provisional ballot at alternative locations.
"We are going to do everything humanly possible to make sure people can vote," Gilmore said. "We’re moving full speed ahead."
In Passaic and Union counties, election officials are confident polling places can be ready by Tuesday.
Elaine Flynn, the Middlesex County clerk, said she had ordered more provisional ballots and would be distributing them to towns without power. She said voting machines were already distributed, and that she "hopes we get lucky and we can use all of them."
Monmouth County officials said they had not heard from more than a third of the 53 municipal clerks, who were asked to report on the status of polling places by 4 p.m. today, Laura Kirkpatrick, a county spokeswoman, told Bloomberg News. With 282,000 customers without power, she said many places will probably depend on portable generators to run voting machines.
Kevin Brown, state director for Service Employees International Union Local 32 BJ, said he was "very concerned about ... especially in the urban areas."
It’s not just election officials who are worried about the challenges. Fearing a low turnout, party officials are also trying to find ways to get people to the polls.
"I don’t think people are thinking about the election," Councilman Steven Fulop of Jersey City said. "We have households with children and no power. That’s their concern. So, I think turnout is going to be less than usual."
Hudson and Essex counties — densely packed regions that propel Democrats to victory in statewide elections — were among the areas hardest hit. Monmouth and Ocean counties, both decidedly Republican, were also devastated by the storm, but those areas are less populous and more politically mixed.
For now, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez and President Barack Obama both hold sizeable leads over their Republican challengers, and even a storm like the one that tore through the state is unlikely to alter the outcome.
"You are going to see a marked drop-off in both urban and suburban areas," Al Barlas , the Republican chairman in Essex County, said.
Phil Thigpen, the Essex County Democratic chairman, said he would meet with local party chairmen tomorrow to assess the challenges and develop a get-out-the-vote plan. He said they were considering renting more buses and other vehicles to make sure voters were served.
"The biggest thing is people getting to the polls," Thigpen said. "We have limited gas and power, but it looks like its working out better each day. People are getting out, and it’s a question of people getting to the polls."
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