New Laws Bring Changes To Primary Elections In New Jersey

In recent years, there has been plenty of debate about the setup of New Jersey's Primary Elections. One of the biggest points of contention was how county politics would influence how the candidates would appear on the ballot.

Another issue expressed by numerous people concerning elections has been access to in-person voting. One of the solutions created on a national level is to offer early voting for Presidential Elections and General Elections for voters who cannot make it to their local polling locations on election day.

In 2025, New Jersey has passed new laws that create more opportunities for in-person voting and new requirements for Primary election ballots.

Here Is What You Need To Know About Changes To NJ Primaries

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed two bills into law that make changes to the state's Primary Elections.

The first bill (S3990/A5370) will extend early in-person voting for New Jersey Primary Elections. In-person voting in non-presidential primary elections will now be six days ahead of election day (previously three days). For presidential primary elections, early in-person voting will now be six days out from election day (previously five days).

The second bill (S4142) will change the layout of ballots for Primary Elections. NJ County Clerks will now have to print ballots that have a neutral arrangement of the candidates running to represent their party in the General Election.

The previous setup for Primary Elections was each County's Political Parties would have an endorsed candidate get the "county-line" in a more prominent spot on the ballot. This layout on the ballot would give these candidates a preferred spot on the ballot, making it more difficult for fair and equal competition in many primary elections.

Here are some other new laws that are being actively enforced in New Jersey that you may not have heard about but you should know: