Atlantic County Clerk Giralo Supports Voter ID — But Says Vote by Mail Must Stay

MAYS LANDING — Atlantic County Clerk Joe Giralo says he supports requiring identification to vote — but he draws a firm line when it comes to eliminating vote-by-mail.

“I do support voter ID,” Giralo said during an appearance on Off The Press with Scott Cronick on WOND.

But when Cronick raised an obvious question — how an identification requirement would work for people voting from home — Giralo acknowledged the issue isn't simple.

“That would need a lot of work and a lot of vetting to do it right,” Giralo said.

Giralo, a Republican who is seeking another five-year term as Atlantic County clerk this fall, said he would strongly oppose any proposal that abolished mail voting.

“I would never be an advocate — never, ever be an advocate — to do away with vote by mail,” Giralo said.

‘It should be made the easiest way possible’

Giralo said mail voting serves people who may have difficulty reaching a polling place because of disability, employment, travel or other circumstances.

“Some people can't get to the polls,” he said. “Some people work night work. Some people are disabled.”

He said making voting accessible should remain a priority regardless of whether someone chooses to vote by mail, during early voting or on Election Day.

“To me it should be made the easiest way possible for people to vote,” Giralo said.

New Jersey currently allows any active registered voter to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot. A voter may request one for a single election or choose to receive mail ballots in future elections until opting out or triggering other statutory provisions.

The state also now offers nine days of in-person early voting for the general election, from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1 this year. Election Day is Nov. 3.

Giralo said he believes the expansion of early voting is one reason mail-ballot usage has declined in Atlantic County.

“You do have people that now have nine days and Election Day to be able to go vote,” he said.

Giralo says voter-ID proposal would have to address mail ballots

New Jersey does not currently have a broad requirement that every voter present photographic identification at the polls.

Cronick noted that a straightforward voter-ID mandate raises a logistical problem when applied to mail voting: the voter isn't physically standing in front of an election worker.

Giralo agreed.

“If you're getting a mail-in ballot, you don't have to produce that,” Giralo said of identification. “So it does segregate those that are going to go vote in person.”

That, he said, is why any statewide voter-ID proposal would require considerable thought before implementation.

New Jersey's existing vote-by-mail system does include identity verification at other stages. The state's online application for a mail ballot requires a voter to provide either information from a current New Jersey driver's license or non-driver ID card, or a Social Security number along with a signature.

New Jersey voter-roll error adds to debate

The discussion comes as New Jersey is dealing with a significant voter-registration problem uncovered this summer.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced in July that a software error in the Motor Vehicle Commission system had resulted in roughly 6,600 people who indicated they were not U.S. citizens being registered to vote between June 2023 and June 2024.

Sherrill said those individuals had answered “no” when asked if they were U.S. citizens during MVC transactions but were nevertheless registered because of the software error.

An Aug. 19 update from the governor's office said approximately 5,100 registrations had been placed in deleted status, while about 1,450 others were moved to rejected status pending further review.

The state also said approximately 340 people newly registered solely because of the software error had voted, while another roughly 220 people affected by the error who voted had other registrations or eligibility attestations that could indicate they were valid voters and therefore required additional review.

That distinction is important: the state has not said all 6,600 people illegally voted, and the governor characterized the registrations as the result of a software error rather than deliberate action by the people involved.

Giralo said much the same during his WOND interview.

“I don't feel that people ran out of their way to register the wrong way,” Giralo said. “I do believe there were some issues with the system from people that have come into the office and talked to us.”

He said he believes the state is moving in the right direction but wants more transparency from Trenton, particularly about the decision to temporarily shut down the statewide voter-registration system while records were reviewed.

The Sherrill administration said the system was briefly taken offline so the Division of Elections could preserve a copy and modify the status of people affected by the error.

‘Have your voice heard’

Despite supporting voter ID and criticizing problems with election systems and mail delivery, Giralo repeatedly returned to one broader concern: too few people vote.

“When you see a turnout of 30 or 40 percent of the registered voters, it's disappointing,” he said.

His message, he said, applies regardless of party and regardless of how someone casts a ballot.

“Whether you vote by mail, early vote or Election Day — vote,” Giralo said. “Have your voice heard. I don't care. Have your voice heard.”

For Giralo, that means election-security measures and voter access do not have to be mutually exclusive.

He supports voter identification.

He supports keeping vote-by-mail.

And he says any changes should preserve the ability of eligible voters to participate.