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Gov. Phil Murphy Says New Jersey's Election Will Be Done Mostly By Mail

TRENTON, N.J. (CBS/AP) — Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday that the general election in New Jersey will be done mostly by mail, following the model the state used in its July primary. Murphy, a Democrat, said during an interview with CNN that all voters would get a ballot, but it's not clear if people who aren't registered will get an application to register.

"We're going to extend that model into the general election in November. We've learned some lessons including we are going to have more secure dropboxes, make sure that there is that physical in-voting capacity," Murphy said. "It doesn't matter what party you're in, everybody gets a ballot."

Murphy announced Friday the Nov. 3 general election will be held "overwhelmingly through vote-by-mail." The nearly all-mail election in July stemmed from the coronavirus outbreak.

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Saying that the general election will mirror the July primary, Murphy indicated that the only in-person voting will be with provisional ballots. That means if voters want to cast their ballot in person, they'll have to go to one of a reduced number of polling places and cast a ballot that will be counted only after officials determine the voter didn't mail in a ballot.

In July, each county had to keep at least 50% of its polling places open for in-person provisional voting.

"Each municipality will be required to open at least one in-person polling site and all counties must ensure that at least 50% of their total polling places are open," Murphy said. "We will work closing with counties and supply the resources needed to ensure that they can open the required number of polling sites and that all ballots are counted accurately and on time."

If the July 7 primary model is used, voters will be able to mail back their ballots to county boards of elections, deliver them there in person or use drop boxes that are scattered across the county. Most counties had at least five drop boxes in July.

This decision will make New Jersey the ninth state in which all registered voters will receive a ballot in the mail for the upcoming November election.

The development comes just a day after Republican President Donald Trump acknowledged that he's starving the United States Postal Service of cash to make it harder to process millions of mailed-in ballots.

"So let's cut the politics out of this. Let's get the national debate into a healthy place. Let's make sure they're properly funded," Murphy said. "We're going to have a lot of secure ballot boxes, at least 210, i.e. 10 per county as well as the ability to walk in on election day and literally hand your ballot to a poll worker."

The state Republican Party petitioned the U.S. attorney in New Jersey to install election monitors over concerns of "disenfranchisement."

Some Democrats have also voiced concerns. Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh has said he wants there to be traditional in-person voting, saying that he was a "purist" and there was a sense of accomplishment after voting in person.

CBS3's Natasha Brown contributed to this report.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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