Sussex County Clerk, Jeff Parrott, is cautioning voters against relying on unofficial news sources for election information. The caution comes amid reports from voters stating they were contacted by someone at “Future Voting” who provided them with incorrect polling location information for the upcoming November 8 general election.
The information usually comes in the form of a text message, with the sender providing the voter with their correct residence address, leading the voter to assume the polling information is correct as well – but it’s not, it is intentionally incorrect. The dissemination of bad polling information is not limited to Sussex County, as other counties have reported similar incidents. The spreading of incorrect information can lead to chaos on Election Day, by misdirecting voters to polling places where they will not be able to vote. Clerk Parrott urges voters who receive unsolicited text messages with election information to disregard them and instead to seek out election information from official sources, like the County Clerk’s Office, the County Board of Elections, and the NJ Division of Elections.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO … voters should refer to their official Sample Ballot for their assigned Election Day polling location and polling hours. Official Sample Ballots were mailed to all registered voters by the County Clerk’s Office the week of Oct. 24th. Voters can also confirm their polling location by calling the County Board of Elections at 973-579-0950 or by using the Polling Place Search app on the NJ Division of Elections website at https://nj.gov/state/elections/vote-polling-location.shtml
If you receive a text from “Future Voting” or other unofficial source directing you to a new/unfamiliar polling place, please report the incident to your County Clerk’s Office asap.