Election administration in New Jersey
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Election administration encompasses a state's voting policies, procedures, and enforcement. These include voter identification requirements, early and absentee/mail-in voting provisions, voter list maintenance methods, and more. Each state's voting policies dictate who can vote and under what conditions.
Below, you will find details on the following election administration topics in New Jersey:
Poll times
- See also: State poll opening and closing times
In New Jersey, all polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[2]
Voter registration
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in New Jersey, each applicant must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of the county in which they are registering for at least 30 days prior to the election. Seventeen-year-olds may register to vote, although they may not vote until they have turned 18. Individuals serving a felony sentence or on probation or parole because of a felony may not register to vote.[3] The voter registration deadline is 21 days before the next election. Registration applications can be downloaded from the state website and mailed to the county commissioner of registration or superintendent of elections.[3] Registration applications are also available at various county offices and state agencies, such as the Division of Elections and Division of Motor Vehicle offices.[4]
Automatic registration
New Jersey enacted automatic voter registration in 2018.[5]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
New Jersey has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
New Jersey does not allow same-day voter registration.
Residency requirements
In order to register to vote in New Jersey, applicants must be a resident of the county in which they are registering for at least 30 days prior to the election.[6]
Verification of citizenship
New Jersey does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a false or fraudulent registration may result in a "fine of up to $15,000, imprisonment up to 5 years, or both pursuant to R.S. 19:34-1."[7]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[8] As of January 2025, six states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, and New Hampshire — had passed laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration. However, only two of those states' laws were in effect, in Arizona and New Hampshire. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections as of November 2024. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The New Jersey Secretary of State’s Office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.
Early and absentee/mail-in voting policy
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
New Jersey permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.
Absentee/mail-in voting
- See also: Absentee voting
All voters are eligible to vote absentee/by mail in New Jersey.[9]
To vote absentee/by mail, an application must be received by election officials at least seven days prior to the election if returned by mail. An application can also be submitted in person to county election officials until 3 p.m. on the day before the election. An application can also be submitted online via the state's online voter registration system. A completed absentee/mail-in ballot must then be postmarked by 8:00 p.m. Election Day and received by the county board of elections by 6 days after the election.[9][10]
Returning absentee/mail-in ballots
Voters in New Jersey can return completed absentee/mail-in ballots in person or by mail. An elector may also authorize another person to deliver his or her ballot to the appropriate board of election on the elector’s behalf.[11]
New Jersey law states:
| “ | No person shall serve as an authorized messenger or as a bearer for more than three qualified voters in an election. No person who is a candidate in the election for which the voter requests a mail-in ballot shall be permitted to serve as an authorized messenger or bearer. The bearer, by signing the certification provided for in section 12 of P.L.2009, c.79 (C.19:63-12), certifies that he or she received a mail-in ballot directly from the voter, and no other person, and is authorized to deliver the ballot to the appropriate board of election or designee on behalf of the voter.[11][12] | ” |
As of November 2024, 20 states allowed anyone chosen by the voter to return a ballot on the voter's behalf, with certain exceptions, while 16 states allowed anyone with certain relationships to the voter to return the voter's ballot. Four states allowed only the voter to return the voter's ballot, with certain exceptions, and two states required voters to return their ballots by mail. Eight states and D.C. did not specify who may return ballots.
Cure provisions
If election officials opt to reject a mail-in ballot on the basis of a missing or discrepant signature, officials must notify the voter of that fact within 24 hours and send along a cure form, by which the voter can remedy the defect that caused officials to reject the ballot. A voter must return the completed cure form and deliver it to the county board of elections in person, by fax, by mail, or by email, not later than 48 hours prior to the final certification of the results of the election. The completed cure form must be received at least 48 hours prior to the final certification to be counted. [13]
As of November 2024, 33 states had laws that included cure provisions, while 17 states did not. One state, Pennsylvania, allowed counties to establish a cure process.
Was your absentee/mail-in ballot counted?
Use the voter search tool provided by the New Jersey Secretary of State office to check the status of your absentee/mail-in ballot.
Voter identification requirements
- See also: Voter ID in New Jersey
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
New Jersey does not require voters to present identification while voting, in most cases. However, if a voter does not provide valid identification at the time of registration, he or she must show identification at the polling place.[14]
Voters can present the following forms of identification:
- New Jersey driver's license
- Military or other government ID
- Student or job ID
- Store membership card
- United States Passport,
- Bank statement
- Car registration
- Government check or document
- Non-photo NJ driver's license
- Rent receipt
- Sample Ballot
- Utility bill
- Any other official document
As of April 2024, 35 states required voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Of these states, 24 required voters to present identification containing a photograph, and 11 accepted other forms of identification. The remaining 16 states did not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day.
Valid forms of identification differ by state. In certain states that require voters to provide identification, there may be exceptions that allow some voters to cast a ballot without providing an ID. To see more about these exceptions, see details by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.
Provisional ballot rules
Voters in New Jersey are given provisional ballots, or ballots requiring additional steps or information before they can be counted, under the following circumstances.[15]
(1) If the voter is "a registered voter in the County who moved within the County and did not notify the County Commissioner of Registration before election day of your current address," the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.
(2) If the voter’s registration is not complete, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.
(3) If the voter is "an Active Need ID voter who has not provided identification information," the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.
(4) If the poll book shows that the voter applied for a mail-in ballot, but the voter did not apply for one, did not receive one, or returned it, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.
Was your provisional ballot counted?
A provisional ballot is rejected in the following circumstances:[16]
- If the voter already cast a provisional ballot; or
- If the voter’s "name, signature, or address does not match the voter registration record and cannot be verified."
Voters can call 1-877-NJVOTER (1-877-658-6837) to check the status of their provisional ballot.
Local election officials
Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool. |
Primary election type
- See also: Primary elections in New Jersey
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. New Jersey utilizes a semi-closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is generally limited to registered party members. Unaffiliated voters can register as party members at the polls on primary election day. Otherwise, a voter must indicate his or her party preference (e.g., via an updated voter registration) no later than the 55th day preceding the primary in order to vote in that party's primary.[17][18]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Time off work for voting
Ballotpedia did not find a law specifying whether voters must be given time off from work to vote in this state. Nolo.com notes that states without such state laws may have administrative regulations or local ordinances pertaining to time off for voting and suggests calling your local board of elections or state labor department for more information.[19]
If you know of a relevant policy in this state, please email us. Click here to find contact information for your local election administrators and here for contact information for the state department of labor.
As of September 2024, 28 states required employers to grant employees time off to vote. Within these 28 states, policies varied as to whether that time off must be paid and how much notice must be given.
Voting rules for people convicted of a felony
In New Jersey, people convicted of a felony automatically regain their voting rights and may re-register to vote once they have completed their prison sentences. On December 18, 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed into law A5823, legislation restoring voting rights to people convicted of a felony once they have completed their prison sentences. The law was scheduled to take effect on March 17, 2020. Previously, state law barred people convicted of a felony from voting until completion of their full sentences, including prison time, probation, and parole.[20][21]
Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[22]
Voter list maintenance
All states have rules under which they maintain voter rolls—or, check and remove certain names from their lists of registered voters. Most states are subject to the parameters set by The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).[23] The NVRA requires states to make efforts to remove deceased individuals and individuals who have become ineligible due to a change of address. It prohibits removing registrants from voter lists within 90 days of a federal election due to change of address unless a registrant has requested to be removed, or from removing people from voter lists solely because they have not voted. The NVRA says that states may remove names from their registration lists under certain other circumstances and that their methods for removing names must be uniform and nondiscriminatory.[24]
When names can be removed from the voter list
New Jersey law authorizes election officials to remove the names of voters from the registered voting list if an individual:[25][26][27]
- confirms in writing that they moved outside of their voting jurisdiction
- requests in writing to be removed from the list
- is convicted of a crime that would constitute grounds for disenfranchisement
- dies
- does not respond to a confirmation notice, vote, or update their registration status through two consecutive federal general elections.
New Jersey law also requires that the municipal officers charged with maintaining death records file biweekly reports with voter registration officials in the two months immediately preceding a primary or general election. In turn, registration officials must remove the names of deceased voters from the voter rolls within 10 days of receiving the aforementioned biweekly report.[28]
Inactive voter list rules
If an election official, using National Change of Address data or other address verification resources, determines that a voter may have moved out of their voting jurisdiction, they are to send them a confirmation notice. If the voter fails to respond to the confirmation notice, vote, or update their registration status through the next two federal general elections, their registration is to be canceled.[25]
If a voter moves to a different county within the state but lists their previous address on their registration form, they are to be added to the inactive voter list. Local election officials are not to transmit mail-in ballots to inactive voters.[29][30]
The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)
According to its website, ERIC is a nonprofit corporation that is governed by a board of member-states. These member states submit voter registration and motor vehicle registration information to ERIC. ERIC uses this information, as well as Social Security death records and other sources, to provide member states with reports showing voters who have moved within their state, moved out of their state, died, have duplicate registrations in their state, or are potentially eligible to vote but are not yet registered. ERIC's website describes its funding as follows: "Members fund ERIC. New members pay a one-time membership fee of $25,000, which is reserved for technology upgrades and other unanticipated expenses. Members also pay annual dues. Annual dues cover operating costs and are based, in part, on the citizen voting age population in each state."[31]
By 2022, 33 states and the District of Columbia had joined ERIC. As of May 2024, 24 states and the District of Columbia were members in the ERIC program.[32]
As of April 2023, New Jersey was participating in the ERIC program.
Post-election auditing
New Jersey state law requires post-election audits. Local election officials, with oversight from an audit team appointed by the attorney general, audit at least 2 percent of election districts. "If a discrepancy is discovered, the audit is expanded to include additional districts or audit units. Criteria to be employed to trigger an expansion of the audit are established before the election." The audit must be completed before certification of the election.[33]
Post-election audits check that election results tallied by a state's voting system match results from paper records, such as paper ballots filled out by voters or the paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Post-election audits are classified into two categories: audits of election results—which include traditional post-election audits as well as risk-limiting audits—and procedural audits.[34][35]
Typically, traditional post-election audits are done by recounting a portion of ballots, either electronically or by hand, and comparing the results to those produced by the state's voting system. In contrast, risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to compare a random sample of votes cast to election results instead of reviewing every ballot. The scope of procedural audits varies by state, but they typically include a systematic review of voting equipment, performance of the voting system, vote totals, duties of election officials and workers, ballot chain of custody, and more.
As of October 2024, 49 states and the District of Columbia had some form of post-election audit by law. Of these, 35 states and the District of Columbia required traditional post-election audits, while six states required risk-limiting post-election audits by law. Eight states used some other form of post-election audit, including procedural post-election audits.[36][37]
Noteworthy events
Lawsuit challenging primary election ballot design (2024)
On February 26, 2024, three Democratic candidates for U.S. Congress sued in federal court to eliminate New Jersey's county line primary ballot design.[38] According to Politico: "The county line is New Jersey’s unique primary ballot design where party-backed candidates are placed in a single column or row from the highest office to the lowest. Candidates not endorsed by county parties are often placed less prominently on primary ballots. Candidates who are on the county line have been shown to have a significant electoral advantage."[39] Nineteen of New Jersey's 21 counties used the county line design at the time of the lawsuit.[39] Most jurisdictions in the United States use a ballot design that groups all candidates running for the same office in the same part of the ballot.
Among the plaintiffs in the challenge was Rep. Andy Kim (D) of New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District. At the time of the lawsuit, Kim was a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat held by Bob Menendez (D). Sarah Schoengood (D) and Carolyn Rush (D), each a candidate for a U.S. House seat in New Jersey, joined Kim in the challenge. The filing named the election clerk in all 19 counties that used the county line system as defendants.[40]
The suit alleged that the county line ballot design violated the First and 14th amendments of the U.S. Constitution, and said: "The system provides preferential ballot position for such candidates and displays them in a manner that nudges voters to select them, even when they otherwise might not."[40] A campaign spokesperson for Tammy Murphy (D), who was a candidate for U.S. Senate but later dropped out of the race, criticized the lawsuit, saying "Andy Kim doesn't have a problem with the county line system, he has a problem with the idea of losing county lines — as he is perfectly happy to participate in the process when he wins, and he has benefited from the lines in every other election he's run."[38] Defendants in the case argued that there was not time to modify and print ballots before the April 20 deadline to send mail ballots for the upcoming primary, and that the system helped voters identify party supported candidates.[41]
On March 29, U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi issued a preliminary injunction blocking the use of the county line in the June 4th Democratic Primary.[42] In the opinion, Quraishi wrote, "Mandatory injunctive relief is reserved only for the most unusual cases. Plaintiffs’ burden on this Motion is therefore particularly heavy. Nevertheless, the Court finds, based on this record, that Plaintiffs have met their burden and that this is the rare instance when mandatory relief is warranted.”[43] In a statement released on his campaign website, Kim said of the ruling that "(t)oday's decision is a victory for a fairer, more democratic politics in New Jersey. It's a victory built from the incredible grassroots work of activists across our state who saw an undemocratic system marginalizing the voices of voters, and worked tirelessly to fix it."[44] After the decision, clerks from three counties said they would not appeal the decision.[39]
Although the ruling did not apply to the Republican primary, the New Jersey County Republican Chairs Association submitted a brief defending the constitutionality of the county line ballot design.[39]
On April 3, the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals denied the remaining defendants' request to block the lower court's decision.[39] By the next day, clerks in all but two counties included in the lawsuit said they would not appeal the ruling, however the Camden County Democratic Committee (CCDC) and several other party committees continued their appeal.[41][45]
On April 15, New Jersey Vicinage 3 Superior Court Judge John E. Harrington denied a request for an injunction to block the use of county line ballots in the state's June 2024 Republican primaries. Four Republican congressional candidates brought the challenge after the March 29 ruling by Judge Quraishi that barred the use of the ballot design for state's June Democratic primaries. Judge Harrington reasoned that there was not enough time between the challenge and the scheduled primaries to grant the injunction, saying "It’s too comprehensive a change for this court do this now."[46][47]
On April 17, the Third Circuit issued a unanimous ruling upholding the lower court's decision to bar the use of the county line ballot design in the June Democratic primaries. According to reporting from the New Jersey Globe, in oral arguments "CCDC lawyer Bill Tambussi contended that the county line allows parties to exercise their constitutionally protected rights to associate with their preferred candidates and assist voters in finding those candidates."[45] In the ruling, judge Kent Jordan wrote "Nothing in the preliminary injunction prohibits the CCDC from including county parties’ slogans on the ballot, endorsing candidates, communicating those endorsements, or associating by any other constitutional means. The injunction simply means that the CCDC does not get to bracket its preferred candidates together on the ballot... Any harm to the state’s or the CCDC’s interests is outweighed by the burdens on the Plaintiffs’ associational rights.”[48]
2022
On July 28, 2022, Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed into law seven separate bills making modifications to New Jersey's election administration laws:
- A1969: Allows minors between the ages of 16 and 18 to serve as election workers from 5:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Election Day.[49]
- Final state Senate vote (June 29, 2022): 37-0.
- Final state House vote (June 16, 2022): 73-3 (45 Democrats and 28 Republicans in favor; three Republicans opposed).
- A3817: Requires ballot privacy sleeves and privacy equipment at each polling place; fixes the mail-in ballot curing deadline nine days after Election Day; allows voters to request mail-in ballots using the existing online voter registration system; allows voters to change their party affiliation using the existing online voter registration system; requires the creation of an online form by which voters can update their names and residences.[50]
- Final state Senate vote (June 29, 2022): 22-17 (22 Democrats in favor; one Democrat and 16 Republicans opposed).
- Final state House vote (June 29, 2022): 58-19 (46 Democrats and 12 Republicans in favor; 19 Republicans opposed).
- A3819: Provides for the removal of a voter's name from the permanent vote-by-mail list if the voter does not vote by mail for four consecutive elections, starting with the 2020 election cycle.[51]
- Final state Senate vote (June 29, 2022): 40-0.
- Final state House vote (June 29, 2022): 78-0.
- A3820: Prohibits an unaffiliated voter from receiving a mail-in ballot for a primary election; requires election officials to provide unaffiliated voters with political party affiliation forms and information about voting in partisan primaries.[52]
- Final state Senate vote (June 29, 2022): 40-0.
- Final state House vote (June 16, 2022): 75-2 (46 Democrats and 29 Republicans in favor; two Republicans opposed).
- A3822: Provides that mail-in ballots will be sent to voters starting on the 45th day before an election; requires that all petitions addressed to state or local election officials be filed by 4:00 p.m. on the 71st day preceding a primary election; allows election officials to begin processing mail-in ballots no earlier than five days before an election.[53]
- Final state Senate vote (June 29, 2022): 23-15 (23 Democrats in favor; one Democrat and 14 Republicans opposed).
- Final state House vote (June 29, 2022): 78-0.
- A3823: Requires that the municipal officers charged with maintaining death records file biweekly reports with voter registration officials in the two months immediately preceding a primary or general election; requires registration officials to remove the names of deceased voters from the voter rolls within 10 days of receiving the aforementioned biweekly report; exempts compensation received by election workers from gross income taxation.[28]
- Final state Senate vote (June 29, 2022): 40-0.
- Final state House vote (June 16, 2022): 78-0.
- A3929: Amends definitions related to military and overseas voting "to more closely mirror the selection categories voters must choose from on the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA), which determine the types of elections – local, state, federal, or all – in which the U.S. citizen living outside of the country is permitted to participate."[54]
- Final state Senate vote (June 29, 2022): 24-15 (24 Democrats in favor; 15 Republicans opposed).
- Final state House vote (June 29, 2022): 47-30 (46 Democrats and one Republican in favor; 30 Republicans opposed).
2021
On March 30, 2021, Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed S3203 into law, establishing in-person early voting as follows for certain primary and general elections:[55]
- Non-presidential primary election: Beginning on the fourth calendar day before the primary and ending on the second calendar day before the primary.
- Presidential primary election: Beginning on the sixth calendar day before the primary and ending on the second calendar day before the primary.
- General election: Beginning on the tenth calendar day before the election and ending on the second calendar day before the election.
S3203, which took immediate effect, established that early voting polling places must be open on Monday through Saturday from at least 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sunday from at least 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. [56]
Election policy ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in New Jersey.
- New Jersey Supreme Court Elections and Tenure Amendment (2014)
- New Jersey Election of Comptroller and Elimination of Auditor Amendment (2014)
- New Jersey Public Question No. 2 (1974)
- New Jersey Public Question No. 1 (1970)
- New Jersey Public Question No. 2 (1969)
- New Jersey Public Question No. 4 (1963)
- New Jersey Public Question No. 1 (1957)
The table below lists bills related to election administration that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in New Jersey. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official bill name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Sponsor party
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.
Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:
- Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments
- We translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language
- And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan
The Ballot Bulletin
The Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.
Click here to view recent issues and subscribe.
Ballot access
In order to get on the ballot in New Jersey, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.
There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.
- An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
- An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
- An individual can run as a write-in candidate.
This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in New Jersey. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in New Jersey
Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of New Jersey's 12 United States Representatives and 120 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.[57][58][59][60]
New Jersey was apportioned 12 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number it received after the 2010 census. Click here for more information about redistricting in New Jersey after the 2020 census.
State process
- See also: State-by-state redistricting procedures
In New Jersey, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by two distinct politician commissions. The congressional redistricting commission comprises the following 13 members:[61]
- The majority and minority leaders of each chamber of the New Jersey State Legislature appoint two commissioners a piece (for a total of eight members).
- The chairs of the state's two major political parties each appoint two members to the commission (for a total of four members). Commissioners appointed by the political parties cannot be members of Congress or congressional employees.
- The first 12 commissioners appoint the last member. This member cannot have held public office in the state within the previous five-year period. If the first 12 commissioners cannot agree on an appointment, they must submit two names to the New Jersey Supreme Court. The court must then appoint the final commissioner.
If the congressional redistricting commission fails to reach an agreement about a redistricting plan, it must submit two plans to the state Supreme Court, which must in turn select from those two plans a final map.[61]
The state legislative redistricting commission comprises 10 members. The chairs of the state's two major political parties each appoint five members to the commission. In the event that this commission is unable to reach an agreement about a redistricting plan, the state Supreme Court may appoint a tie-breaking member.[61]
State law requires that state legislative districts meet the following criteria:[61]
- Districts must be contiguous.
- Districts "must be as nearly compact as possible."
- Municipalities "must be kept intact, except where otherwise required by law."
There are no such requirements in place for congressional districts.[61]
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in New Jersey can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
New Jersey County Election Officials
Secretary of State, Elections Division
- Physical Address: 20 West State Street, 5th Floor
- Trenton, New Jersey 08608
- Mailing Address: P.O. Box 304
- Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0304
- Phone: 609-292-3760
- Toll free: 1-877-658-6837
- Fax: 609-777-1280
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/vote.shtml
New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission
- Physical Address: 25 S Stockton St, 5th Floor
- Trenton, New Jersey 08608
- Mailing Address: P.O. Box 185
- Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0185
- Phone: 609-292-8700
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
- Washington, DC 20001
- Phone: 301-563-3919
- Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.eac.gov
Ballotpedia's election coverage
- United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2024
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2024
- Democratic Party gubernatorial primaries, 2024
- Democratic Party Secretary of State primaries, 2024
- Democratic Party Attorney General primaries, 2024
- State legislative Democratic primaries, 2024
- United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2024
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2024
- Republican Party gubernatorial primaries, 2024
- Republican Party Secretary of State primaries, 2024
- Republican Party Attorney General primaries, 2024
- State legislative Republican primaries, 2024
See also
- State of Election Administration Legislation Reports
- Voting in New Jersey
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in New Jersey
- Redistricting in New Jersey
Elections in New Jersey
- New Jersey elections, 2025
- New Jersey elections, 2024
- New Jersey elections, 2023
- New Jersey elections, 2022
- New Jersey elections, 2021
- New Jersey elections, 2020
- New Jersey elections, 2019
- New Jersey elections, 2018
- New Jersey elections, 2017
- New Jersey elections, 2016
- New Jersey elections, 2015
- New Jersey elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ We use the term "absentee/mail-in voting" to describe systems in which requests or applications are required. We use the term "all-mail voting" to denote systems where the ballots themselves are sent automatically to all voters. We use the hyphenate term for absentee voting because some states use “mail voting” (or a similar alternative) to describe what has traditionally been called "absentee voting."
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, “Election laws - NJSA - 19:15-2,” accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 New Jersey Division of Elections, “Register to Vote!” accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Division of Elections, “Where to Register in Person,” accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature, “Assembly Committee Substitute for Assembly, No. 2014,” April 13, 2018
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Voter registration FAQ," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Voter Information Portal, "New Jersey Voter Registration Application," accessed November 1, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 New Jersey Department of State, "Vote by Mail Applications," accessed April 18, 2023
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections, "Vote-By-Mail," accessed September 27, 2024
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 New Jersey Department of State, “NJ Statutes Annotated, Section 19:63-16,” accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, “NJ Statutes Annotated, Section 19:63-17,” accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Division of Elections, "Provisional Ballot Affirmation Statements," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Provisional Ballots," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed September 27, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Statutes & Rules § 19:23-45," accessed September 27, 2024
- ↑ NOLO, "Taking Time Off to Vote," accessed July 22, 2024
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy Signs Bill to Restore Voting Rights to People on Probation and Parole," December 18, 2019
- ↑ NJ.gov, "Voter Restoration Handbook," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
- ↑ As of May 2024, the Justice Department notes, "Six States (Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) are exempt from the NVRA because, on and after August 1, 1994, they either had no voter-registration requirements or had election-day voter registration at polling places with respect to elections for federal office."
- ↑ The United States Department of Justice, "The National Voter Registration Act of 1993," accessed May 29, 2024
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Justia, "2018 New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 19:31-15 - Removal of name from Statewide voter registration system; change of residence; confirmation." accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ Justia, "2018 New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 19:31-16 - Data on eligible voters' deaths filed by health officer." accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ Justia, "2018 New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 19:31-17 - Criminal conviction data; use," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 New Jersey Legislature, "Bill A3823," accessed August 22, 2024 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "A3823" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Justia, "2018 New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 19:31-13.1 - Previous registration in another county; notice; transfer to inactive file," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ Justia, "2018 New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 19:63-3 - Procedure for user of mail-in ballot." accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ ERIC, "FAQ," accessed May 29, 2024
- ↑ ERIC, "Who We Are," accessed May 29, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Post-Election Audits," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Post-Election Audits," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Election Assistance Commission, "Election Audits Across the United States," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted in October 2024, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Post-Election Audits," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 northjersey.com, "Andy Kim sues to block NJ's line — the ballot positions for preferred candidates," February 26, 2024
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 39.4 Politico, "Appeals panel denies NJ clerks’ request to block new ballot design, another win for Andy Kim," April 3, 2024
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 northjersey.com, "Judge establishes timeline for Andy Kim's lawsuit over the NJ line. Here's what comes next," March 3, 2024
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 The Philadelphia Inquirer, "A judge’s decision to block New Jersey ballot design that favors endorsed candidates is likely to stand — at least for now," April 4, 2024
- ↑ Associated Press, "Federal judge blocks New Jersey ballot design, saying it favors party-backed candidates," March 29, 2024
- ↑ Roll Call, "Judge blocks ballot design in New Jersey primary," March 29, 2024
- ↑ Andy Kim for New Jersey, "Congressman Andy Kim Statement on Granting of Emergency Injunctive Relief Ending the County Line System in New Jersey," March 29, 2024
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 New Jersey Globe, "Third Circuit upholds Quraishi’s county line ruling," April 17, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Globe, "State court judge says Republicans can keep their lines for ’24 primary," April 15, 2024
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "New Jersey Judge Upholds County Line for 2024 GOP Primaries," April 16, 2024
- ↑ United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, "Andy Kim v. Christine Hanlon No. 24-1594," April 17, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature, "Bill A1969," accessed August 2, 2022
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature, "Bill A3817," accessed August 2, 2022
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature, "Bill A3819," accessed August 2, 2022
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature, "Bill A3820," accessed August 2, 2022
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature, "Bill A3822," accessed August 2, 2022
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature, "Bill A3929," accessed August 2, 2022
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature, "Senate, No. 3203," accessed April 7, 2021
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature, "Senate, No. 3203," accessed April 7, 2021
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Why does it matter?" accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ Indy Week, "Cracked, stacked and packed: Initial redistricting maps met with skepticism and dismay," June 29, 2011
- ↑ The Atlantic, "How the Voting Rights Act Hurts Democrats and Minorities," June 17, 2013
- ↑ Redrawing the Lines, "The Role of Section 2 - Majority Minority Districts," accessed April 6, 2015
- ↑ 61.0 61.1 61.2 61.3 61.4 All About Redistricting, "New Jersey," accessed May 6, 2015
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