General-election ballots are due to start mailing Sept. 19. A federal appeal is now pending, the local opt-out deadline has passed and the clerk has issued a separate warning for Morristown and Morris Township voters.
MORRISTOWN, NJ – Morris County’s vote-by-mail process remains on its state-law schedule as of Sept. 1, even as the federal government appeals a judge’s temporary block on new U.S. Postal Service requirements for mailed ballots.
The immediate local date is Sept. 19, when counties are scheduled to begin mailing ballots for the Nov. 3 general election. Morris County Clerk Ann Grossi said in an Aug. 26 status notice that her office would continue following New Jersey law while the federal litigation proceeds.
On Aug. 27, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani temporarily blocked core parts of a Postal Service rule that would require states to submit information about mail-ballot recipients and use federally specified barcodes and envelope designs. Talwani scheduled a Sept. 3 hearing on whether to issue a longer preliminary injunction, Reuters reported Aug. 28.
The Trump administration asked the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Sept. 1 to lift Talwani’s temporary order. Filing an appeal does not, by itself, remove the block. The Postal Service rule remains enjoined unless a court changes that status.
The U.S. Supreme Court had lifted an earlier injunction on Aug. 24 because the states’ challenge was premature and had not yet shown a concrete injury. The Supreme Court’s order did not hold that the final Postal Service rule was lawful, and it left room for a new challenge once the rule was final. That new litigation is now underway.
The opt-out deadline has passed
Morris County voters who were enrolled to receive mail ballots in every election had until Aug. 31 to ask to be removed before the 2026 general election. That deadline has now passed.
The Morris County Clerk’s forms page carries an additional notice: Morristown and Morris Township voters “will not be opted out until after November 3.” Voters in either municipality should not assume that a recent opt-out request changed their status for the general election. They can check the state’s “Track My Ballot” portal or contact the clerk to confirm.
Receiving a mail ballot changes the available in-person procedure. Under New Jersey’s voting instructions, a voter assigned a mail ballot may not cast a regular machine ballot during early voting. A voter who goes to an Election Day polling place without returning the mail ballot must use a paper provisional ballot.
Dates Morris County voters should keep
- Sept. 19: General-election mail ballots are scheduled to begin going out.
- Oct. 27: Deadline for the county clerk to receive an application if the voter wants a mail ballot sent through the mail.
- Nov. 2 at 3 p.m.: Deadline to apply in person at the county clerk’s office.
- Nov. 3 at 8 p.m.: Mailed ballots must be postmarked by this time. Ballots placed in a secure drop box or delivered to the county Board of Elections must arrive by this time.
- Nov. 9: Deadline for the county Board of Elections to receive a timely postmarked ballot through the mail.
A completed mail ballot cannot be returned at an early-voting site or Election Day polling place. It may be mailed, placed in an authorized drop box or delivered to the county Board of Elections.
The federal litigation is moving quickly and could change again after the Sept. 3 hearing or on appeal. Until an official state or county notice says otherwise, Morris County voters should use the existing New Jersey deadlines and instructions rather than relying on partisan posts or national summaries.