As a result of the passing of P.L. 2025, c. 20, the number of signatures required on a nominating petition have changed. The new number signatures that are required for a nominating petition will take effect immediately. Further, “[a]ny petition signatures collected by a candidate for office to be voted for at the 2025 primary election utilizing the petition forms published by the Secretary of State prior to the effective date of P.L. 2025, c. 20 . . . shall not be subject to a petition challenge based upon the use of a form published by the Secretary of State prior to the effective date of P.L. 2025, c. 20.”
The 2025 Petitions have been amended and are available for download. Please use the link below to download them:
Download Petitions
The 2025 Primary Election has been rescheduled. Please view the official notice for further details.
You may:
Each NJ county will hold in-person machine voting. Each county, depending on its size will designate a minimum of 3 to 10 voting locations for early in-person voting purposes. Early voting polling locations will be open from at least 10 am to 8 pm on Mondays through Saturdays, and from at least 10 am to 6 pm on Sundays.
Voters will also be able to return their vote-by-mail ballots early at a secure ballot drop box, via mail, or in person to their Board of Elections office. Dropbox locations can be found here on the New Jersey Voter Information Portal.
In the Primary Election you may vote for the candidate(s) of your choice representing the party in which you are registered. NJ recognizes the Democrat and Republican parties. You may only vote for the number of candidate(s) permitted for the office that you are casting a vote for. Example – Senate - Vote for One- you may only vote for one. Voting for more than one creates an “Over Vote” which disqualifies the vote cast for that office. Please remember to check the back and any additional pages of your ballot to ensure that you have reviewed all offices up for election.
If you are an unaffiliated voter (a voter that has not declared a party) you may be eligible to vote in the Primary Election. You must declare a party when voting at your polling location or select one ballot, Democrat or Republican, if voting by mail.
In a General Election you do not have to vote for the candidate(s) of the same party.
Please remember to check the back and any additional pages of your ballot to ensure that you have reviewed all offices up for election and any ballot questions.
The main way the counties receive this information is via the sample ballots that are sent prior to each election. If a sample ballot is returned as undeliverable or indicates the voter has moved out of county/state, that voter is put into an “Inactive” status and is sent a confirmation notice informing them that they have until the second federal general election after the date of the notice to update their voting record or appear to vote and complete the necessary form or they will be removed from the voting rolls.
Inactive voters do not get sample ballots and are not eligible to receive a vote by mail ballot until they are put back into an Active status. To update your record to active status through the online voter registration or using a paper registration form.
Citizens, including college and high school students, are encouraged to apply. Training is required and will be provided. This is a great opportunity to earn additional money and participate in our democracy.
Please contact your county clerk to submit a request. If you would like to receive your ballot by mail you must request your ballot not less than 7 days before an election.
Otherwise, you must get your Mail-in Ballot in-person from your county clerk, by 3 p.m. the day before Election Day.
You have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to return your ballot to the Board of Elections in person or deposit it in one of your county’s secure authorized ballot drop boxes. You can also mail your ballot, it must be postmarked on or before 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
You can find your Board of Elections contact information here.
You can find your County Clerk contact information here.
First time users have to create an account and will need either a Voter ID, a Driver’s License Number, or the last 4 digits of their SSN Number to validate voter registration status. (If you don’t know your Voter ID number, you can obtain it by going to "Voter Search" or contact your Superintendent of Elections or Commissioner of Registration)
First time users have to create an account and will need either a Voter ID Number, a Driver’s License Number, or the last 4 digits of SSN to validate voter registration status. (If you don’t know your Voter ID number, you can obtain it by going to "Voter Search" or contact your Superintendent of Elections or Commissioner of Registration)
Mail-in Ballots that are placed in the county’s secure ballot drop box or delivered in-person to the County Board of Elections must be delivered by 8 pm on Election Day.
Additionally, every Mail-in Ballot that does not bear a postmark date but is received by the county board of elections by delivery of the United States Postal Service before or within forty-eight (48) hours (2 days) of the closing of polls, shall be considered valid and shall be canvassed, assuming the ballot meets all other statutory requirements.
You can find your County Clerk contact information here.
You can find your County Clerk contact information here.
Be sure to complete and sign the certificate attached to the inner envelope when you return your Mail-in Ballot. Be sure to leave the certificate attached to the inner envelope. Do not put it inside the inner envelope. If you are going to mail your ballot, it must be postmarked ON or BEFORE Election Day and received by your county Board of Elections by 8 pm on the sixth day after the close of the polls. If you are not sure if your ballot will arrive in time, you can drop it off in person at the county Board of Elections or one of the county’s secure authorized ballot drop boxes. Contact your Board of Elections for drop-off locations. If you are dropping your ballot off in-person, you must do so by 8 pm on Election Day.
Any Bearer Ballots that exceed the limit must be REJECTED. If the Bearer is hand-delivering the ballot to the county Board of Elections, then he/she MUST SHOW ID AND SIGN the Bearer Book. It is against the law for anyone except you, the voter, to mail or transport your ballot unless the outer envelope is sealed and the “Bearer Portion” is completed.
Page Last Updated: 3/12/25