What Happens When Your Mail-In Ballot Signature Doesn't Match Signature Election Officials Have On File?
CAMDEN COUNTY, N.J. (CBS) -- Tens of thousands of people across the tri-state area are voting by mail because of the pandemic. But what happens if your signature does not match the signature election officials have on file when you registered to vote?
Every registered New Jersey voter received a pamphlet in the mail, along with their mail-in ballot. It lists everything you need to do to make sure your vote counts, even down to the signature.
"By and large, I think it's easy, it's safe," one voter said.
That's how one New Jersey voter described his mail-in voting experience.
"In Camden County, we sent out about 358,000 ballots and as of today, we have a little over 85,000 ballots back," Camden County Deputy County Clerk John Schmidt said.
The Board of Elections is staying busy in Camden County as voters mail-in ballots continued to file in with three weeks left until Election Day.
"There's still a lot of mixed messages out there and we are trying to answer as many questions as possible, how to fill out your ballot correctly. Obviously, we want every vote to count," Schmidt said.
The Garden State is also making sure the ballot they received was submitted by the actual voter with a signature.
Both a Democrat and Republican will be checking signatures to make sure it matches the signature on file.
"If that group thinks that there's a discrepancy then that ballot will then go to our four commissioners, who are also two Democrats, two Republicans, to make the final decision," said Kim Campisi, Camden County Board of Elections democratic administrator.
But just how particular will the election board be when it comes to checking these signatures? Eyewitness News gave both administers examples to see if a signature would pass the examination process.
If the signature didn't check out, the Board of Elections would contact you to alert you that the signature didn't match the one on file, and you would have the chance to fill out a form with a current signature to rectify the issue.
If the Board of Elections is not able to contact you, your vote will not count.
There are 13 dropbox locations throughout Camden County, and your mail-in ballot must be postmarked on or before Nov. 3.
