Primary Election 2023

Deadlines

Voter Registration: 

Early Voting:

June 2 – June 4 – Early Voting Period

Hours will be Friday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. 

Early voting locations by county: https://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/vote-early-voting.shtml  

Absentee ballot deadlines:

In NJ, you can request a mail in ballot for any election 

Any voter may apply for vote-by-mail by completing the Application for Vote-By-Mail Ballot and returning the application to their County Clerk. 

After you complete your Vote-By-Mail Ballot, return your ballot by one of three ways, mail it back, place it in one of your county’s Secure Ballot Drop Box Locations or return it to your County Board of Elections Office.

Your vote-by-mail ballot MUST be postmarked on or before 8:00 p.m. on Election Day and be received by your county’s Board of Elections on or before the sixth day after the close of the polls. 

May 30: Deadline to apply for a Mail-In Ballot by Mail for Primary Election 

Election day:

Frequently asked questions (FAQ’s)

Ten reasons why should you vote?

Who are the candidates?

How to register to vote? 

How to check voter registration status?

How can I vote in the general Election?

     1. Vote by mail ballot 

Registered voters can apply for a vote-by-mail ballot by following the instructions found here or contacting their County Clerk. 

Then, vote and return your ballot one of the following ways:

• Mail: Your vote-by-mail ballot MUST be postmarked on or before 8:00 p.m. on Election Day and be received by your county’s Board of Elections on or before the sixth day after the close of the polls. 
• Secure Ballot Drop Box: Place your vote-by-mail ballot in one of your county’s secure ballot drop boxes by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Drop box locations can be found at VOTE.NJ.GOV. 
• Board of Elections Office: Deliver your vote-by-mail ballot in person to your county’s Board of Elections Office by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. County Election Officials’ contact information can be found at VOTE.NJ.GOV. 

      2. In-person early voting 

No matter where you live in the county, you can vote your specific ballot at any of your county’s designated in-person early voting locations. Find your county’s locations here.

Early voting 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. No appointment is necessary. Accommodations will be made for voters with disabilities.    

      3. At your polling place on election day 

Vote in person at your polling place, from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Accommodations will be made for voters with disabilities.  

Click here for your polling place, listed on the Polling Locations page. 

Can I vote?

To register in New Jersey, you must be: 

• A United States citizen 
• At least 17 years old, though you may not vote until you have reached the age of 18 
• A resident of the county for 30 days before the election 
• A person not serving a sentence of incarceration as the result of a conviction of any indictable offense under the laws of this or another state or of the United States. 

The registrant must complete a Voter Registration Application and/or Party Affiliation Form. Mail or deliver the Voter Registration Application and/or Party Affiliation Form to the County Commissioner of Registration or Superintendent of Elections for your county. 

You are ineligible to register to vote if: 

• You are serving a sentence of Incarceration as a result of a conviction of an indictable offense under the laws of this or another state or of the United States. 

The registration deadline to vote in the next election is 21 days prior to the election day. 

• More information can be found here.

How to check Ballot status?

• You can check the ballot status here.

Where is the nearest Polling Place? 

• Search for your nearest polling place by clicking here.

Know Your Voting Rights!

• If you’re in line when polls are supposed to close, stay in line – you have the right to vote. 
• If you make a mistake on your ballot, ask for a new one.  
• If the machines are down at your polling place, ask for a paper ballot. 
• If your citizenship, criminal record, or other qualifications are questioned, immediately call the Election Protection Hotline where trained volunteers are available to help. 
• If you run into any problems or have questions before or on Election Day, call the Election Protection Hotline: 

          English: 866-OUR-VOTE / 866-687-8683 

          Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA / 888-839-8682 

          Arabic: 844-YALLA-US / 844-925-5287 

          For Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, or Vietnamese: 888-API-VOTE/ 888-274-8683 

DECIDE WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IN A CANDIDATE 

Candidates can be judged by the positions they take on issues, by their party and by the leadership qualities and experience they would bring to the office. The first step is to decide the issues you care about and the qualities you want in a leader 

GATHER MATERIALS ABOUT THE CANDIDATE 

Sources of information may include: 

• Campaign literature 
• Candidate websites and social media 
• Press reports ads (radio, television, mailings) 
• Information about candidates’ parties and platforms 

• Candidate speeches 
• Candidate debates 
• www.VOTE411.org 

TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT CAMPAIGN INFORMATION 

TV and radio ads What did you learn about the candidate from the ad? Did you find out anything about issues or qualifications? Was the ad designed to appeal to a select group (women, elderly, minorities)? If something targets your emotions heavily or exclusively, find out what you can about the facts as well. 

Fact Checking Use established and impartial fact checking sites to learn more about the candidates and their claims. 

Pamphlets, Flyers, and Candidate Websites These may contain valid, substantive information or they may be full of distortions and evasions. Be on the lookout for accusations or lies about opponents. 

Political Party and Party Platform: A candidate’s party may take a stand on issues that you care about but that the candidate has not addressed directly. 

 RECOGNIZE DISTORTION TECHNIQUES 

Name-Calling/Sidetracking These are attacks on an opponent based on characteristics that will not affect performance in office. References to race, ethnicity or marital status might also be used to instill prejudice 

Loaded Statements “I oppose wasteful spending” doesn’t sav much – and it implies that the candidate’s opponent favors it. 

Catchwords Beware of empty phrases, such as “law and order”… “the American way”, that are designed to trigger a knee-jerk, emotional reaction rather than inform  

Baiting Politics is a tough game, but badgering and intimidation are unnecessary campaign tactics. Think twice about a candidate who tries to make opponents look weak or out of control by harassment. 

SPOT PHONY ISSUES 

Passing the Blame When one candidate accuses another party or candidate of being the cause of a major problem such as unemployment or inflation, fact check the statements. 

Promising the Sky These are unrealistic promises that no elected official could fulfill. 

Evading Real Issues Many candidates work very hard to avoid giving direct answers to direct questions. Watch out for candidates who talk about benefits and never mention costs or details of how the program will work. 

Visit VOTE411.org to view candidates responses to policy questions. 

LEARN HOW OTHERS VIEW THE CANDIDATE 

Once you’ve gathered information from campaigns and other sources, you will want to learn what other people think of the candidate. But do not discount your own informed judgments! 

Seek the opinions of others in the community Find out who they support and why, and what shaped their political opinions. 

Learn about endorsements Endorsements provide clues to the issues a candidate supports. 

Look into campaign contributions Where did the candidate get the funds to finance a campaign? How might these contributions affect the candidate’s conduct in office? 

BE A SMART POLL WATCHER 

Before you believe everything you read in a poll, ask these questions: 

Who sponsored the poll? When parties and candidates pay for polls, they might not publish unfavorable data. 

What questions were asked? Were they slanted? You can spot blatantly biased questions, but also look for ones that subtly steer a respondent to a certain answer or leave no room for a “Yes, if..” or a “No, but.. 

Who and how many were interviewed? How were respondents selected? The selection needs to be random or at least represent all segments of the population proportionately. The smaller the sample of respondents, the wider the margin of error in the findings. 

RATE THE CANDIDATES ON HOW THEY CAMPAIGN 

The way a candidate runs a campaign can provide important clues as to how that candidate will perform as a public official, once elected. A contender who runs an open, issues-oriented campaign can be expected to become an accessible, forthright and thoughtful pulib official 

AN OPEN CAMPAIGN HAS 

Accessibility is the candidate willing to debate with opponents? Does the candidate meet regularly with the press? Does the candidate accept speaking engagements before different groups, even those that might not be sympathetic? 

Information do campaign ds provide clear information on issue positions? Can you easily obtain position papers or answers to your questions? Is the candidates voting record easy to get? 

Openness seeing a candidate at a rally or shakig hands in a parking lot does not tell us much about the candidates positions. Most of the us rely on the media, so pay attention to the following during interviews and forums 

• Does the candidate give full answers on your key issues 

• What happens when answers are evasive or off the point 
• Who selected the audience? A disinterested party or political party? 
• In what venues does the candidate make appearances? Does the campaign emphasize events where the candidate can only talk on safe and narrow topics 

SORTING IT ALL OUT 

Ask yourself these final questions: 

• Which candidates’ views on the issues did you agree with the most  
• Who ran the fairest campaign 
• Which candidate was most knowledgeable on the issues 
• Which candidate has the leadership qualities you are looking for 

Is the choice clear? If so, pick a candidate. 

NOW THAT YOU’VE THOUGHT THROUGH YOUR CHOICES, DO SOMETHING! 

• Back candidates you believe in ‘talk to your friends and co-workers about “your candidate” 
• Don’t be afraid to ask tough questions at candidate meetings, at rallies, and when a campaign worker rings your doorbell 
• Write letters. Tell newspapers how you feel about the issues 
• Make a plan to vote by visiting VOTE411.org. Review your options for casting a ballot.  

Primary Election Day & Key Dates 

Here are key deadlines for the upcoming Primary Election: 

• April 22: Commencement of mailing of Vote-by-Mail Ballots for the Primary Election 
• May 16: Deadline to Register to Vote for the Primary Election 
• May 30: Deadline to apply for a Vote-by-Mail Ballot by Mail for Primary Election 
• June 2 – June 4: In-Person Early Voting Period 
• June 5 at 3pm: Deadline to apply for a Vote by Mail ballot in person at your County Clerk’s office 
• June 6: Election Day – Polls are open from 6:00am-8:00pm