County Clerk to Conduct Ballot Drawing Via Livestream Aug. 10 - Due to COVID-19, the Drawing Will Be Conducted Online

SOMERVILLE, NJ – The Somerset County Clerk will conduct a ballot drawing via livestream on Monday, Aug. 10 at 3 p.m., for the Nov. 3 general election. Residents will be able to watch the drawing in real-time at https://bit.ly/BallotDrawing2020. After the live event, a video of the drawing will be available on the County Clerk’s webpage for interested parties to watch at their convenience. To view the recording of the ballot drawing following its completion, visit https://bit.ly/BallotDrawing2020.

A random drawing of candidates’ names is a fair and equitable way to determine where their names will be placed on the ballot.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, ballot drawings were held in the County Clerk’s office and were open to the public.

“My two priorities during this extraordinary time are to fulfill my mandate for a fair and open election process, and to protect the public health by supporting social distancing guidelines,” said Somerset County Clerk Steve Peter. “This process allows me to do both.”

In 2019, the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders began livestreaming public meetings to help make the county government more transparent. The County Administration is loaning the technology to the Clerk’s office for the ballot drawing.

“I’m grateful that we are now able to livestream,” said Clerk Peter. “Because of this technology, and through the support of our administration, we will continue the election process with minimal interruption.”

During elections, the Somerset County Clerk is responsible for receiving candidates’ petitions and designing sample ballots, machine ballots, and vote-by-mail ballots. The County Clerk also issues vote-by-mail ballots, tabulates election returns, issues certificates of election and much more.

The Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders helps manage and oversee the county’s higher education, road and bridge maintenance, curbside recycling, parks and recreation, employment training, social services, recording of deeds and wills and other services.

To view the ballot drawing live, visit https://bit.ly/BallotDrawing2020. Watch a recording of the ballot drawing at https://bit.ly/BallotDrawing2020.

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