New Jersey is one of a handful of states holding statewide elections this year. The primaries are June 6 and general elections are on Nov. 7. The filing deadline for the primary elections was March 27.
All districts in both chambers of the state legislature are on the ballot. Ballotpedia is also covering elections for county positions in Essex and Hudson counties, as well as school board elections Jersey City and Newark.
State legislature
New Jersey is one of four states — along with Mississippi, Virginia, and Louisiana — holding legislative elections in 2023. All 120 districts are up for election — 40 in the Senate and 80 in the General Assembly.
New Jersey has a Democratic trifecta — Democrats control both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office. Democrats hold a 25-15 Senate majority and 46-34 majority in the General Assembly. New Jersey has had a Democratic trifecta since Gov. Phil Murphy (D) took office in 2018. New Jersey had a divided government between 2010 and 2018 because Chris Christie, a Republican, was governor. In 2019 and 2021, Republicans picked up two and six seats in the General Assembly, respectively. In 2021, Republicans picked up one seat in the Senate.
New Jersey is one of 40 states without primary election runoffs, meaning that a candidate can advance to the general election with a plurality of the vote. The state does not cancel uncontested primaries, and write-in candidates do not have to file (if they win a primary, however, they must file paperwork accepting the nomination).
The chart below shows New Jersey’s primary election competitiveness numbers between 2013 and 2021.
County and school board elections
Ballotpedia is covering municipal elections this year in Essex and Hudson counties, as well as school board elections in Newark and Jersey City. The March 27 filing deadline only applies to the county elections.
In Essex, voters will elect county commissioners and a county surrogate. In Hudson, voters will elect a county executive and nine county commissioners. As with state-level elections, the primaries for those races is June 6.
We’re covering school board elections in Jersey City and Newark, though those run on a different schedule. Newark’s general election for three seats is on April 25, while Jersey City’s general election for three seats is on Nov. 7.
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