NJ Voter Registration Totals Ahead Of Election Day (See The Breakdown)

NEW JERSEY — What New Jersey political parties have the edge heading into the 2024 election – and where?

The New Jersey Division of Elections has released its final update of voter registration totals before Election Day, which takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 5. There were 6,727,358 registered voters in New Jersey as of Nov. 1.

Here’s how the numbers break down:

• Democratic Party – 2,534,932
• Unaffiliated – 2,485,411
• Republican Party – 1,628,633
• Libertarian Party – 25,094
• Conservative Party – 14,475
• U.S. Constitution Party – 12,390
• Green Party – 11,716
• Socialist Party of New Jersey – 7,749
• Natural Law Party – 5,470
• Reform Party – 1,488

The GOP has seen the largest growth in numbers since last month, with the Republican Party adding 16,945 new voters to its rolls since Oct. 1, and the Democratic Party gaining 6,015. It’s a number that the New Jersey Republican Party has trumpeted on social media.

Despite the recent gains, New Jersey registered voters are more likely to say they will vote for Democrats “up and down the ballot” – including the presidential race, according to the latest Rutgers-Eagleton poll:

“When it comes to the presidential race, 55% of registered voters say they would vote, or have already voted, for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, and 35% say they would vote, or have already voted, for Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump. Six percent say they would not vote for either candidate or would vote for someone else, and 5% are unsure of their vote choice. The numbers change little among registered voters who say they will “definitely vote” or “have already voted” in this election. Including leaners does little to change the race (56% for Harris versus 37% for Trump).”

When it comes to voting for their member in the House of Representatives, 48 percent of surveyed voters said they would vote for the Democratic nominee, 33 percent said they would vote for the Republican nominee, 3 percent said they would vote for someone else and 4 percent said they wouldn’t vote. Twelve percent are uncertain of how they would vote, researchers said.

“Despite pre-election polls showing a statistical dead heat on the national stage and in every battleground state right now, New Jersey will likely remain a win in the blue column this election cycle,” said Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) at Rutgers University–New Brunswick.

“Right now, Democrats’ leads in the Garden State look comfortable, but these gaps may very well narrow in the final days through Election Night,” Koning added.

Results are from a statewide poll of 1,018 adults contacted through the probability-based Rutgers-Eagleton/SSRS Garden State Panel from Oct. 15 to Oct. 22. The full sample has a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percentage points. The registered voter subsample contains 929 registered voters and has a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points.

CONGRESS RACES

Several Congress districts may see competitive races between the Democratic and Republican candidates, if the voter registration data is any indication. They include:

• District 2 – 194,626 Republicans, 175,470 Democrats, 214,948 unaffiliated
• District 7 – 214,880 Republicans, 195,031 Democrats, 222,521 unaffiliated
• District 11 – 227,120 Democrats, 164,369 Republicans, 220,246 unaffiliated

THIRD-PARTIES

Third-party voters currently represent slightly more than 1 percent of all registered voters in New Jersey. As of the latest count, 78,382 voters across the state are registered with third-parties, state data shows.

Third-parties have faced an uphill battle in the Garden State, with several of them having to sue the state to be included in the official voter registration tallies. Other recent complaints have included unfair ballot layouts and being shut out of candidate debates.

Despite these challenges, a robust field of third-party candidates will appear on the ballot across New Jersey on Nov. 5, including for the Libertarian and Green parties.

• See Related: NJ Green Party Launches 2024 Congress Slate: Meet The 'Green 13'
• See Related: NJ Libertarians Back 8 Congress Candidates In 2024 Election

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.