New Jersey

The November 5 General Election will be conducted as a regular election. Registered voters can vote in person or by vote-by-mail ballot. There will be three ways to vote in the General Election:

• Vote in person at your designated polling place on Election Day.
• Vote in person at designated polling locations in your county during the in-person early voting period.
• Vote using a vote-by-mail ballot and
  • Mail through the U.S Postal Service, postmarked by November 5, or
  • Hand-deliver to a secure drop box by 8 p.m. on November 5, or
  • Hand-deliver to your county board of elections by 8 p.m. on November 5.

By mail

Voters must submit a vote-by-mail application (as distinct from a vote-by-mail ballot) to be received by October 29, 2024, if applying by mail, or by 3 p.m. on November 4 if applying for and picking up a vote-by-mail ballot in person at the county clerk’s office.  Voters who have previously indicated that they want to receive vote-by-mail ballots in all elections should receive one automatically, without having to apply.   

A vote-by-mail ballot (as distinct from a vote-by-mail application) that is returned by mail must be postmarked on or before Election Day (November 5) and received by the county board of elections by 8 p.m. on November 11.  (If the ballot is missing a postmark, it will still be counted if the Postal Service delivers it within 48 hours after the polls close on November 5.) 

Vote-by-mail ballots can also be hand-delivered by 8 p.m. on November 5 to: (1) a secure ballot drop box, or (2) the appropriate county board of elections.  Vote-by-mail ballots cannot be returned to polling places. 

In person: 

On Election Day: Polling locations will be open on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.  Voters in line by 8 p.m. are entitled to vote. 

Early in-person voting: New Jersey voters can vote early in person, using a regular ballot, at any early voting location in their county of residence.  Early voting will be available from October 26 to November 3.  During this period, the polls will be open from at least 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, and from at least 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sundays.

In person on Election Day: 

Voters may confirm their polling place by referring to their county board of elections website or entering their address in the New Jersey Division of Elections polling place locator (https://voter.svrs.nj.gov/polling-place-search). 

In person during 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 at the New Jersey Voter Information Portal.

Returning Vote-by-Mail Ballots: 

Voters may mail their completed ballots to the county board of elections. To be counted, the ballots must be postmarked on or before November 5 and received by 8 p.m. on November 11.  (If the ballot is missing a postmark, it will still be counted if the Postal Service delivers it within 48 hours after the polls close on November 5.)

Voters may also cast their vote by hand-delivering their vote-by-mail ballot to their county board of elections (not a polling place).  The county board will request ID to verify the identity of the person delivering the ballot (whether the voter themself or a “bearer”).  A voter may also drop their vote-by-mail ballot in a secure drop box on or before 8 p.m. on November 5. 

• NOTE: Every county must provide at least ten secure ballot drop boxes in locations readily accessible to the registered voters within that county. The locations of the drop boxes will be provided at https://nj.gov/state/elections/vote-secure-drop-boxes.shtml and in the notice sent to “active” registered voters.
• NOTE: If you drop off someone else’s ballot, you become a “bearer.” Bearers are limited to delivering three non-household ballots per election, but an authorized bearer may transport up to five ballots in an election if the voters are immediate family members residing in the same household as the bearer. A bearer must sign the “bearer portion” of the outer envelope of the ballot in the presence of the voter when taking custody of the ballot. If the bearer is hand-delivering the ballot to the county board of elections, the bearer must show ID and sign the bearer book.

Registration Deadlines

• For registration deadlines, see How to Register below.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in New Jersey if you:

• Are a U.S. citizen
• Are a resident of New Jersey
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
• Live in the precinct where you vote for at least 30 days prior to the election

You are NOT eligible to vote in New Jersey if:

• You are in prison or detention or jail or penal institution
• You were disqualified from voting due to a court order

Restorative Requirements

• If you have completed a felony prison sentence, even if you are still on parole or probation, then you are immediately eligible to register to vote.

You may preregister to vote in New Jersey

• At the age of 17

How to register 

Registration deadlines: 

The registration deadline for the Primary Election is October 15, 2024, 21 days before Election Day.  

Registration forms must be either postmarked or hand-delivered by that date.  Eligible voters can also register to vote online.

How to check your registration: 

Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote by checking the New Jersey Division of Elections website and clicking the “Am I Registered” tab:

https://voter.svrs.nj.gov/registration-check. Alternatively, they can call 1-877-NJ-VOTER.

Eligibility: 

You are eligible to vote in New Jersey if you:

• Are a U.S citizen
• Are a resident of New Jersey
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
• Live in the county where you vote for at least 30 days before the election

You are NOT eligible to vote in New Jersey if:

• You are currently incarcerated for a felony conviction
• A court has declared you incompetent to understand the act of voting

You may preregister to vote in New Jersey

• At the age of 17

How to Register: 

New Jersey residents may register by mail, in person, or online.  

By Mail:

To register by mail, a voter may:

• Download and print a voter registration form from this website: https://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/voter-registration.shtml#vrf, and 
• Mail or deliver it to the County Commissioner of Registration or Superintendent of Elections for the voter’s county (addresses are available at: https://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/county-eo.shtml).  No postage is necessary if the registration form is mailed in the U.S.; the mailing address is printed on the back of the form.

In Person:

• An individual may register to vote in person at any of the following places:
  • State Division of Elections (20 West State Street, 4th Floor, Trenton, NJ 08608)
  • County Commissioner of Registration or Superintendent of Elections for the voter’s county, or the voter’s municipal clerk’s office (addresses are available at: https://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/county-eo.shtml) 
  • Motor Vehicle Commission Office 
  • NJ Medical Assistance & Health Services Program
  • WIC (Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants & Children)
  • Work First NJ Programs
  • Division of Developmental Disabilities
  • Office of Disability Services – Department of Human Services – Public Offices
  • Armed Forces of the United States Recruitment Offices
  • Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services – Department of Labor
  • Commission of the Blind & Visually Impaired
  • County Welfare Agency or County Board of Social Services
  • Through a voter registration drive

Online

• An individual may register to vote online at: https://voter.svrs.nj.gov/register

Party Affiliation for a Primary

To vote in a primary, voters must first declare a party. If a voter has not declared a party as part of their registration, there are two ways to do this—unaffiliated voters can either 

• make that declaration at the polls, during Early Voting or on the day of the election, or 

they can fill out and send in a political party affiliation form.

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

If You Want to Vote in Person before Election Day:

For the 2024 General Election, in-person early voting will be held from Saturday, October 26 through Sunday, November 3.  Early voting sites in each county will be open 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.   So long as you are registered to vote, there are no eligibility requirements for in-person early voting.  Registered voters can vote at any early voting site in their county.  Early voting locations may vary from a voter’s polling location on Election Day.  A list of in-person early voting locations for each county is located here.

If You Want to Vote by Vote-by-Mail Ballot:

Requesting a vote-by-mail ballot: 

Every registered voter is eligible to receive a vote-by-mail ballot by applying for one. Voters who have previously indicated that they want to receive vote-by-mail ballots in all elections should receive one automatically, without having to apply. When filling out a vote-by-mail application, you can check a box to indicate that you want to be placed on the default vote-by-mail list going forward (in which case you will receive a vote-by-mail ballot for all future elections). 

To confirm whether you are on the default list, please call your county clerk.  Alternatively, you can go to the Track My Ballot site, create or open a personal voter record account, and check your mail-in ballot history. To create an account on this site, you will need your driver’s license number, the last four digits of your Social Security number, or your Voter ID number. You can locate your Voter ID number by checking your voter registration status online.

If you no longer want to receive a vote-by-mail ballot automatically, you must notify your county clerk’s office in writing. Voters on the default vote-by-mail list who fail to vote by mail for four consecutive years are removed from the list after being notified in writing of the change.

If you do not automatically receive a vote-by-mail ballot but you want one for this election, or you want to receive the ballot at an address different from the last mailing address on file with election officials, you should complete an application.

Applications for vote-by-mail ballots can be returned by mail or in person to the county clerk. 

• October 29:  To allow the county clerk sufficient time to mail out ballots to voters, vote-by-mail applications returned by mail must be received by October 29.
• November 4, 3 p.m.:  A voter may return a vote-by-mail application in person to the county clerk on any day up to November 4 at 3 p.m. (the day before Election Day).

Upon receiving a complete and valid application, the clerk will provide the voter with a vote-by-mail ballot. 

Casting a vote-by-mail ballot:

• Postmarked by November 5: If you mail your vote-by-mail ballot, you should ensure that it is postmarked on or before November 5, 2024, and your county board of elections must receive it by 8 p.m. on November 11. (If the ballot is missing a postmark, it will still be counted if the Postal Service delivers it within 48 hours after the polls close on November 5.)
• In person by 8 p.m. November 5: If you hand-deliver your vote-by-mail ballot to your county board of elections or drop it in a secure drop box, you must do so by 8 p.m. on November 5. 
  • NOTE: Every county must provide at least ten secure ballot drop boxes in locations readily accessible to the registered voters within that county. The locations of the drop boxes will be provided at https://nj.gov/state/elections/vote-secure-drop-boxes.shtml and in the notice sent to “active” registered voters.  
  • NOTE: Identification (such as a driver’s license, non-driver ID, or other ID with the voter’s address) will be required for voters hand-delivering their ballots to the county board of elections.

Vote-by-mail ballot never arrived:  

If your vote-by-mail ballot did not arrive, you can contact your county clerk to get a replacement ballot, or you can vote in person by provisional ballot at your designated polling location on Election Day or by provisional ballot at any early voting location in your county during the in-person early voting period.

Voter Registration

To register to vote in New Jersey you should provide one of the following:

• Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number
• Your New Jersey Driver’s License Number
• Your New Jersey non-driver ID number

If you use your Driver’s License or Non-Driver Id, your info will be shared with the NJ MVC to validate your ID and get a copy of your digitized signature. If you use your SSN, you must be able to sign on-screen or upload your signature to finalize your registration. If you are unable to provide a digital signature, you cannot register online.

If you do not have any of these IDs, you can provide a copy of one of the following with your registration application:

• Current and Valid Photo ID
• Document showing Proof of Address

You can alternatively provide one of these documents when you vote to complete your registration.

Voting In-Person

If you registered to vote in New Jersey, you may be required to present valid ID if you are voting for the first time or your registration is incomplete. You can use any ID from this list:

• Other Government ID
• Valid US Passport
• Store Membership Card
• Rent Receipt
• Valid Employee ID
• Valid New Jersey Driver’s License
• Valid Student ID
• Valid Military ID
• Valid New Jersey Non-photo Driver’s License
• Sample Ballot mailed to you
• Valid New Jersey Vehicle Registration
• Utility Bill
• Bank Statement

Voter Registration

To register to vote in New Jersey you should provide one of the following:

• Last four digits of your Social Security Number (SSN)
• Your New Jersey Driver’s License Number
• Your New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) Non-Driver ID Number

If you register on a paper form and sign that form where indicated, any of the numbers above will suffice. If you register online and use your Driver’s License or Non-Driver ID, your info will be shared with the NJ MVC to validate your ID and get a copy of your digital signature. If you use your SSN in an online registration, however, you must be able to sign on-screen or upload your digital signature to finalize your registration. If you are unable to provide a digital signature, you cannot register online with only your SSN.

If you do not have any of these IDs, you can provide a copy of one of the following with your registration application:

• Current and Valid Photo ID
• Document Showing Proof of Address

Alternatively, you can complete your registration when you vote by providing one of these documents at the polls.

Voting In-Person

New Jersey voters can vote without showing identification, with two exceptions:  

First, a first-time voter who registered by mail and did not provide an accurate driver’s license number, non-driver identification number, the last four digits of a Social Security number, or acceptable identification at that time must present identification at the polling place on Election Day in order to vote by regular ballot.  Acceptable identification includes:

• a current and valid photo identification card; 
• a current utility bill; 
• a current bank statement; 
• a rent receipt;
• a car registration;
• a non-photo driver’s license;
• a current government check or paycheck; 
• any other government document that shows the voter’s name and current address.

If the voter cannot provide identification at the polling location, they may vote using a provisional ballot. These voters must bring an acceptable ID to their county commissioner of registration or superintendent of elections by the close of business on the second day after the election.

Second, a voter who personally delivers their vote-by-mail ballot to their county boards of elections will be asked for identification to verify that they are the voter who cast the ballot. The forms of identification specified above will suffice so long as they include the full address and signature of the voter. The voter must also sign a book in which the board records all vote-by-mail ballots that are personally delivered. 

Moving Within the Same County:

If a voter has moved within the same district, the voter may cast a regular ballot by completing a written affirmation at the polling place.  If a voter has moved to a different district within the same county, the voter may vote by provisional ballot in the district to which he or she has moved, upon completing a written affirmation at the polling place.

Moving Between Counties:

If, on or before the 31st day before the election, a voter moved to a new county from another state or county and did not register to vote, he or she is ineligible to vote.  However, if the voter moved to a new county from another county in New Jersey within 30 days of the election, he or she may vote in the election district where the voter resided and registered before moving.  If the voter is still in the poll books in their former county of residence, they can vote by regular ballot.

Moving From Another State:

A voter who moves to New Jersey from out-of-state must register and reside at the new address for 30 days before the election in order to vote

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Registering and Requesting an Absentee Ballot:

There are several ways in which military and overseas voters may register to vote and request and obtain a ballot.  To register, they may fill out and mail a New Jersey voter registration form, which must be postmarked by October 15, 2024 (21 days before the date of the 2024 general election), or they may register to vote online by that date if they have appropriate identification. They can also fill out a Federal Post Card Application, which must be received by October 15, 2024 (21 days before the date of the 2024 general election), whether returned by mail, email, or fax. The Federal Post Card Application allows eligible military or overseas voters to simultaneously register and request their vote-by-mail ballot.  However, if an eligible voter registers with a state voter registration form, they must separately apply for a vote-by-mail ballot and send the application in time for the county clerk to receive it by October 29, 2024. 

Military and overseas voters may also register to vote and request a vote-by-mail ballot by calling 1-877-NJ-VOTER.

Receiving an Absentee Ballot:

Military and overseas voters may receive their blank vote-by-mail ballots by airmail or electronic transmission.  To request electronic transmission of the blank ballot, military and overseas voters must mark the appropriate box and provide an email address or fax number on the Federal Post Card Application (https://www.fvap.gov/guide/chapter2/new-jersey).  

Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot:

The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) is a back-up ballot that military and overseas voters may use if they made a timely application for, but did not receive, their state mail-in ballot.  These voters may use the FWAB only if they are voting from outside the United States.  

Casting an Absentee Ballot: Ballots may be returned by airmail, commercial carrier, hand-delivery, or by fax or email (with the original ballot send by follow-up air mail).  Ballots sent by mail must be postmarked by November 5; ballots sent by other means must be received by the close of polls at 8 p.m. on Election Day.  For specific instructions, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s website: (https://www.fvap.gov/new-jersey).

New Jersey law permits people with a felony conviction (also called an indictable offense in New Jersey) to vote so long as they are not currently incarcerated.  Such voters must complete a new voter registration form once they become eligible (i.e., when they are no longer incarcerated) and mail or hand-deliver it 21 days before the election (October 15, 2024). 

Pretrial detainees who have not yet been convicted and people with misdemeanor convictions (also called “disorderly persons offenses” in New Jersey) are not disqualified from voting.  Like all other qualified voters, those serving jail time in pretrial detention or on misdemeanor convictions may apply for and cast a vote-by-mail ballot.