Early In-Person Voting Begins In New Jersey

By Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor

June 4, 2025

Early in-person voting in this year’s gubernatorial and Assembly primaries began Tuesday morning, one week ahead of the June 10 primary.

For the first time, this year’s primary early voting period will run for six days. Early polling centers are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Eligible voters can cast ballots at any early polling station in their county.

New Jersey’s 21 counties will stand up 168 early voting stations this year, up from 159 in last fall’s general election. The state reimburses counties’ early voting expenses for up to three, five, or 10 early polling sites, depending on county population.

Only two counties, Union and Hudson, are standing up early polling stations at their own expense. Union is set to launch 11 early voting locations, while Hudson is erecting a staggering 31.

It remains to be seen whether this year’s governor’s race — featuring 11 candidates across the two major parties — will draw the level of early in-person turnout observed during last year’s presidential races.

Nearly 1.2 million residents cast early in-person ballots during the state’s nine-day early voting period last November, shattering previous turnout records for the voting method and eclipsing the 841,138 mail ballots returned in that race. About 65% of registered voters cast ballots in that election, with early votes accounting for a little more than a quarter of total turnout.

Until 2024, mail ballots were the main method of pre-Election Day voting. Before then, in-person early voting struggled to attract large numbers of voters. The state first allowed the practice in November 2021.

This year’s early voting period will be longer than in previous years due to a bill Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law in March. That law extends the primary early voting period to six days, from three days in most years and five days in years with a presidential election.

Gubernatorial primaries will top this year’s ballots.

On the Democratic side, six candidates — Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, former Senate President Steve Sweeney, and New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller — are vying for the chance to succeed Murphy.

Five Republicans — former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, Sen. Jon Bramnick, radio host Bill Spadea, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac, and contractor Justin Barbera — are competing for their party’s nod.

All 80 of the state’s Assembly seats are also up for election this year.

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