Skip to main content

Department of State

The Hon. Tahesha Way, Lt. Governor and Secretary of State

Unaffiliated NJ Voters Must Declare Party By April 12 To Vote By Mail In June 6 Primary

TRENTON, NJ –

New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way is reminding unaffiliated voters, those who have not registered as a voter of a specific political party, that if they want to vote by mail in the upcoming June 6, 2023 Primary Election, they must declare a party affiliation by April 12, 2023. This deadline ONLY applies to those unaffiliated voters who want to vote using a mail-in ballot in the upcoming Primary Election.

The New Jersey Division of Elections provided the following guidance to inform their registered voters of this important deadline:

 

“New Mail-In Ballot Rules for Unaffiliated Primary Election Voters

In an effort to strengthen election integrity and ballot security County Clerks will no longer be sending mail-in ballots to unaffiliated voters for primary elections. Assembly Bill 3820, requires unaffiliated voters to declare affiliation with the Democratic or Republican party before they may be issued a primary election mail-in ballot. County Clerks are to send unaffiliated mail-in voters a notice instructing the voters how to affiliate with the Democratic or Republican party, a political party affiliation declaration form, and information on how they may vote in person at a polling place for the primary election.

An unaffiliated voter who has voted in previous primary elections, but still wishes to vote by mail must affiliate with a political party on, or before the April 12 deadline for political party affiliation. Voters who are not affiliated with a political party and have not previously voted in a primary election may affiliate with a political party and apply for a mail-in ballot through the 3 p.m. June 5 deadline for in-person ballot requests. Any unaffiliated voter may declare party affiliation and vote at a polling location on primary election day.”

Unaffiliated Mail In Voters should have received notification about this deadline from their County Clerk.

Please note: Unaffiliated voters who would like to vote in person for the Primary Election (whether during the early voting period from June 2-4 or on Primary Election Day June 6) can declare their party affiliation at their polling location and vote.

 


Back
to top