Our community’s voice matters
Make sure you’re ready to vote
Summer is over. The kids are back in school, the Jewish holidays are almost over, and that means election season is just around the corner.
The November 3 general election includes U.S. Senate and congressional races, but our focus remains on the local races where our votes can have an especially direct impact: school boards and town councils. BCJAC has been busy meeting with candidates, developing questionnaires, and reviewing responses, compiling information to help voters learn about local issues and candidates’ positions. Local elections can be decided by a surprisingly small number of votes. In Teaneck last year, for example, the school board race was decided by fewer than 100 votes. That is why it is critical that every eligible voter is registered and that every vote is counted.
Here are some simple steps to make sure you and your family are ready to participate this fall.
Students studying in Israel
New Jersey residents temporarily living overseas, including eligible students studying in Israel, can register and request to receive their ballots electronically. Qualified overseas civilian voters can also return their completed ballots via email and without a printer, subject to New Jersey’s requirements.
Go to BCJAC.org, scroll down to Important Voting Links, and click Israel Students & Overseas Voters to complete the process online. You will need to provide your:
U.S. voting address
Current overseas voting address
Social Security number
Do not wait until the week before the election to figure this out. The deadline to apply to receive a 2026 general election ballot electronically as a qualified overseas voter is October 30.
New to the neighborhood
Welcome to Bergen County! If you have recently moved to the area, make sure you are registered to vote at your current address.
Go to BCJAC.org and scroll down to Important Voter Links to check your registration status and to register if necessary. New Jersey allows eligible voters to register online. You will need to provide a New Jersey driver’s license OR a Social Security number.
Registering to vote does not require you to affiliate with a political party, nor does it guarantee you jury duty. It simply makes you eligible to participate in elections. The deadline to register to vote in this year’s general election in New Jersey is October 13.
Vote by mail
Registered NJ voters can apply for a vote-by-mail ballot until October 27. Ballots for the 2026 general election began being mailed on September 19. Once you receive your ballot, don’t wait until Election Day to return it. We recommend returning completed ballots to an authorized ballot drop box (there is one outside the Teaneck municipal building) or in person to the County Clerk’s office in Hackensack to ensure it is delivered to the county and counted.
Vote in person
There is a full week of in-person early voting at multiple sites around Bergen County, including the Rodda Center in Teaneck, from October 24 to November 1. In-person voting is also available on Election Day, Tuesday November 3, at your regular polling location in your neighborhood.
Key dates to keep in mind
October 13: Deadline to register to vote
October 21: Sample ballots begin being mailed
October 24 – November 1: In-person early voting
October 27: Deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot
October 30: deadline for qualified overseas civilian and military voters to apply to receive a ballot electronically
November 3: Election Day, polls are open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Be a voting ambassador
Getting out the vote is everyone’s responsibility. Help spread the word by speaking to your friends and neighbors about registering to vote and showing up at the polls. Ask seniors if they need help getting to the polls, and ask parents of very young children if you can come along to help (or babysit while they go). It truly takes a village.
As antisemitism continues to affect communities across the country, it is especially important that we remain engaged at the grassroots level and to make sure that the Jewish community’s concerns are understood and represented in local government. Equally important, we must remain vigilant to prevent extremist or intolerant candidates from using local elections to launch campaigns for higher office and increasing influence.
BCJAC is organizing a number of Get Out the Vote efforts this season and we’d love your help. Email info@bcjac.org to get involved. Chesed hours are available.
Strong voter participation demonstrates that our community is engaged, informed, and committed to the future of our neighborhoods and municipalities. Every eligible voter in every household matters. That includes our children who have turned 18, our college students away from home (who can register for vote by mail) and our young adults spending the year in Israel.
Now is the time to ensure ALL eligible household members are registered to vote so that on November 3, we can make our voices heard.
—Bergen County Jewish Action Committee