Summary
State elections on the ballot: Governor, State Senate and State House
Ballot measures:
The New Jersey Division of Elections, part of the Secretary of State, oversees all New Jersey elections.
OnAir Post: New Jersey Votes in 2024
News
northjersey.com, – March 25, 2021
New Jersey is poised to dramatically expand access to the ballot box in upcoming elections and introduce in-person early voting under a bill awaiting Gov. Phil Murphy’s signature.
Voters would be able to cast ballots at polling places up to 10 days early and on a day that works for their schedule — even on the weekends — beginning this November under a bill, S3203, the state Senate sent to Murphy on Thursday.
Lawmakers also sent Murphy a bill changing how ballot drop boxes are placed within municipalities to make them more widely distributed, and delayed a final vote on a bill limiting the presence of police at the polls.
About
Contact
Email: Division of Elections
Locations
Division of Elections
20 West State Street, 4th Floor, Trenton, NJ 08608
Phone: 609-292-3760
Fax: 609-777-1280
Web Links
Registering to Vote
General Information
Who can register
To register in New Jersey you must:
- be a citizen of the United States
- be at least 17 years of age; you may register to vote if you are at least 17 years old but cannot vote until reaching the age of 18
- be a resident of NJ and your county and at your address at least 30 days before the next election
- not be serving a sentence or on parole or probation as the result of a conviction of any indictable offense under the laws of this or another state or of the United States
- not be declared mentally incompetent by a court
How to register
- Use our Register to Vote form below to fill out the National Voter Registration Form.
- Sign and date your form. This is very important!
- Mail or hand-deliver your completed form to the address we provide.
- Make sure you register before the voter registration deadline.
Election Day registration
N/A
Voting Rights restoration
If you have been convicted of a felony and have questions about whether you can register to vote, visit Restore Your Vote to determine your eligibility.
Registration Status (form)
New Registration (form)
Voting
General Information
Voting as a Student
Learn more from Campus Vote Project about voting for students.
Overseas and Military Voting
You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.
If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.
Voting with Disabilities
Most polling places in New Jersey are accessible to voters with disabilities. You may call your county board of elections to determine if your polling location will be able to meet your specific needs.
If you are permanently disabled, unable to go to the polls to vote, or wish to receive information on an absentee ballot, you may check a box in the lower left hand corner of the voter registration form and information will be forwarded to you.
For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.
Early Voting
In person absentee voting is allowed and no excuse is required. Early voting begins 45 days before the election and ends at 3pm the day before the election.
Vote by Mail (Absentee)
Absentee ballot rules
Any registered New Jersey voter may apply for an absentee ballot and vote by mail.
How to get Absentee ballot
- Use our Absentee Ballot form below to prepare your application.
- Sign and date the form. This is very important!
- Return your completed application to your Local Election Office as soon as possible. We’ll provide the mailing address for you.
- All Local Election Offices will accept mailed or hand-delivered forms. If it’s close to the deadline, call and see if your Local Election Office will let you fax or email the application.
- Make sure your application is received by the deadline. Your application must actually arrive by this time — simply being postmarked by the deadline is insufficient.
- Please contact your Local Election Office if you have any further questions about the exact process.
What to do next
- Once you receive the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions.
- Sign and date where indicated.
- Mail your voted ballot back to the address indicated on the return envelope.
- Your voted ballot must arrive by the deadline or it will not be counted.
Absentee ballot application deadline
- In Person: 1 day before Election Day.
- By Mail: 7 days before Election Day.
Absentee ballot submission deadline
Election Day
Absentee Ballot (form)
Elections Alert (Form)
Pollling Information
Polling Place Locator
ALERT: This information applies to the July 7 Primary Elections only:
A minimum of 1 polling location per municipality will be available and each county will open a minimum of 50% of its polling places (provided that sufficient poll workers are available). CDC guidelines for polling place safety and sanitation will be followed. Voters who vote at polling places will vote using a paper provisional ballot. Voters with disabilities may vote on ADA-accessible voting machines. Voters will not receive sample ballots but will receive notification of their polling locations.
More information about locating polling locations is coming soon.
You can find your polling place by utilizing your state resource.
If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.
Polling Place Hours
Polls are open from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm.
Poll Worker Information
In order to be a poll worker in New Jersey, you must:
- Be registered to vote in New Jersey
- Be entitled to compensation
- Political affiliation generally required
- Be a resident of the county
- Complete required training every 2 years
- Students 16 or older who meet all other voter requirements may be appointed if they are enrolled in high school and have a written note from a parent or if they graduated from high school and have passed a general education development test
Citizens of all ages, including college and high school students, are encouraged to apply. To sign up, contact your local board of elections.
Division of Elections
Secretary of State
Source: webpage
Tahesha Way serves as New Jersey’s 34th Secretary of State. Nominated for appointment by Governor Phil Murphy on December 18, 2017, Ms. Way was sworn in on February 26, 2018. As Secretary of State, Ms. Way holds one of the nation’s oldest constitutional offices and leads a department with a diverse portfolio. She serves as New Jersey’s top election official, overseeing the state Division of Elections and its work in securing our democracy and ensuring broad, fair access to the right to vote. Ms. Way also chairs New Jersey’s Complete Count Commission, a 27 member non-partisan commission established to encourage full participation in the 2020 Census. In addition to the critical work protecting what Secretary Way calls the “fraternal twins of democracy,” Ms. Way also oversees the state government offices supporting New Jersey’s vibrant arts, culture, history, and business communities.
Throughout her career, Secretary Way has devoted herself to public service. Prior to becoming Secretary of State, Secretary Way was an Administrative Law Judge for the State of New Jersey. In 2006, Secretary Way was elected to the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders and served as the Freeholder Director in 2009. She served as special counsel for the Passaic County Board of Social Services overseeing all agency litigation. She also served as a council member for the New Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council. She is the former president of the Women Empowered Democratic Organization of Passaic County, an organization dedicated to empowering Democratic women by increasing their participation with the goal of achieving greater equality in the political process. Secretary Way also previously served on the Board of Directors for the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a leading national think tank geared towards advancing dialogue and policy for improving women’s lives and their families.
Secretary Way is a graduate of Brown University, where she served as Vice President of the collegiate chapter of the NAACP, President of her Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, taught religious education, and was a radio announcer for WBRU-FM. Ms. Way holds a juris doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law at Charlottesville, where she clerked for the Virginia Legal Aid Society and the United Steelworkers of America.
Secretary Way lives in Passaic County with her husband, former New York Giant and NFL executive Charles Way, and their four daughters. Secretary Way has been a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, Garden State Bar Association, National Association of Women Judges, Association of Black Women Lawyers, Passaic County Bar Association, and the New Jersey Women’s Lawyers Association.
