The Middlesex County Board of Elections on an unspecified date heard staff updates that poll worker training, voting‑machine preparations and ballot mailings are on schedule for the upcoming election, and it received multiple public comments urging stricter controls on distribution and collection of mail‑in ballots in institutional settings.

Board elections administrator Steve (staff) told the board that poll worker retrainings are ongoing, battery replacements and password updates for voting machines and poll books are complete, and staff will complete remaining tasks after upcoming training sessions. He said drop boxes are picked up daily during the week and will be emptied on the weekend before Election Day to reduce last‑minute surges. He also announced a public open house for voting‑machine/tabulator inspection scheduled for Sunday, November 2, from 2 to 4 p.m., at the Piscataway location.

“Poll worker training is ongoing,” Linda (staff) said, and staff reported they are tracking returned mail ballots and were “running 1 to 1 in terms of receipts and process.” Board staff also said the state ERIC (Electronic Registration Information Center) feed will be implemented “in the coming days” and that additional duplicate records from other counties are expected post‑election.

In public comment, Chella Sacrony of Milton described observed problems with absentee ballots in nursing homes and urged the board to take a direct role in distribution and collection. “My suggestion is that the BOE should direct the distribution and collection of nursing home ballots — two people, one from each party,” Sacrony said, citing unsecured ballots she had seen “under piles of personal belongings, under food trays, under laundry, behind headboards” and residents who could not access their ballots.

Board members and staff discussed legal and logistical limits on such a change. Commissioners noted ballots are issued by the county clerk’s office and questioned whether BOE staff have statutory authority to alter current distribution practices without a change in law or designation of institutional settings as early‑vote locations. One commissioner observed that designating facilities as early‑vote locations could be an option but would have cost and staffing implications.

Other public comments included requests for earlier posting of sample ballots (a resident said sample ballots are normally posted about 10 days before the election by the county clerk), a report of potential duplicate voter IDs tied to an apartment complex in East Brunswick, and a suggestion to allow remote participation in meetings because of traffic and travel burdens.

Board staff also reported several polling‑place room changes: Woodbridge Avenue School polling rooms 4 and 5 will relocate to the gymnasium; one Sayreville site is moving to a different firehouse bay; and John Marshall School in Edison has construction that requires room changes. Staff said they will circulate confirmed details after verifying them.

During the meeting the board adopted the minutes and later approved a motion to move an unspecified agenda item forward (the item was not named on the transcript). Roll‑call responses recorded on the transcript included affirmative votes from several commissioners for both actions.

Votes at a glance
- Adopt minutes — outcome: approved. Roll‑call recorded affirmative responses from Commissioners Jowell, Katz, Moskowitz and Benjamin Hayes (as captured in the transcript).
- Motion to forward an agenda item (item not specified in the transcript) — outcome: approved. Roll‑call recorded affirmative responses from Commissioners Jones, Katz and Moscow (as captured in the transcript).

Why it matters: The board’s operational preparations — poll‑worker training, machine readiness, post‑office and drop‑box handling and implementation of ERIC — affect ballot processing and voter access on Election Day. Public concerns about ballot security in nursing homes highlight potential gaps between how ballots are distributed and local capacity to ensure they are secure and accessible.

Looking ahead: Board staff said ERIC access and post‑election file reconciliation are expected soon; the board will provide final polling‑place room confirmations to local chairs and post notices for the public inspection of tabulators before the election.