Opinion ID: 2792075
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: New Jersey’s Closed Primary Election System

Text: New Jersey has created a comprehensive statutory scheme to govern elections in the state. See N.J. Stat. Ann. §§ 19:1-1 to 19:63-28. A “general” election is held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, at which time voters “elect persons to fill public office.” Id. at § 19:1-1. There are two ways in which a candidate can secure a place on the ballot for a general election. The first is to be nominated by a political party in a primary election; the second is to submit a petition with the requisite number of signatures. Under the first option, “members of a political party … nominate candidates” in the month of June “to be voted for at general elections.” Id. at §§ 19:1-1 and 19:2-1. New Jersey law defines a “political party” as any party that garners at least ten percent of the votes cast in the last general election for the office of a member of the General Assembly. Id. at § 19:1-1. To appear on a primary election ballot, a candidate must file a nominating petition accompanied by the requisite number of signatures at least sixty-four days before the primary election. Id. at §§ 19:23-8 and 19:23-14. To be eligible to vote  This disposition is not an opinion of the full court and, pursuant to I.O.P. 5.7, does not constitute binding precedent. 3 in a political party’s primary election, a voter must be deemed a member of that party at least fifty-five days before the election, unless the voter is newly registered or the voter has not previously voted in a primary election. Id. at § 19:23-45. The state bears the cost of conducting primary elections. Id. at § 19:45-1. Under the second option, candidates unaffiliated with a political party may “bypass the primary election and proceed directly to the general election” upon submission of a petition bearing the necessary number of signatures. Council of Alt. Political Parties v. Hooks, 179 F.3d 64, 69 (3d Cir. 1999); see also N.J. Stat. Ann. §§ 19:13-3 to 19:13-13.