On Friday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed an Executive Order making the July 7 primary election mostly a vote-by-mail affair, although counties will have a small number of in-person, polling locations open.
The Governor had previously moved the primary election from June 2 to July 7 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns over social distancing. With a number of federal, state and county races on the ballot, including President, registered Democratic and Republican voters will now be receiving vote-by-mail ballots. The ballots will have prepaid postage, so you won’t have to use a stamp to express your Constitutional right.
If you are currently not a registered voter, or are unaffiliated with either of the two, major political parties, the Governor said you will be mailed an application in order to apply for the mail-in-ballot.
During his daily coronavirus media session on Friday Murphy stated, “Our goals are twofold: to maximize our democracy while minimizing the risk of illness. We want everyone to participate in a safe and fully democratic process.”
Because the Governor believes some residents will still prefer to vote at the polls, he has ordered that every municipality in New Jersey, all 565, to have at least one polling location open with full social distancing guidelines in place and frequent sanitization of touch-screen voting machines.
In addition to President, voters in the July 7 primary will also be selecting nominees for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Cory Booker, all twelve members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and in Hudson County, the entire slate of Board of Chosen Freeholders.
At least one elected Republican, State Senator Joseph Pennacchio (R-District 26) is criticizing the Governor for ordering the vote-by-mail election saying, “Residents have made sacrifices to do everything the Governor asked us to do to flatten the curve and prevent the spread of the virus,” Pennacchio said. “The curve has flattened and continues to flatten, but Murphy has given up on moving the state forward and returning to normalcy. He is a governor of executive orders and emergency declarations.”
Pennacchio noted that the state and nation has held elections during crises before without impact on the polls.
“Instead of giving our residents hope, this is a message of despair. July 7 is more than 50 days away, but in Murphy’s mind, the virus will still be controlling us and we will not have any semblance of normalcy returning to the state,” added Pennacchio.
New Jersey State Democratic Committee Chairman John Currie completely disagrees with Senator Pennacchio, saying, “Governor Murphy continues to rely on data while making decisions and his announcement today regarding the Primary Election is another positive step forward for New Jersey’s voters. The Governor has given counties the autonomy to establish safe in-person voting sites, which I believe is critical to ensuring that all voters, especially those in urban areas, have a fair opportunity to exercise their franchise. I applaud the Governor for his continued leadership on not only this decision, but on his overall response to the COVID-19 crisis.”
The NJDSC plans to work with county party organizations to help inform voters of the changes to the Primary Election and increase turnout.
A recent Rutgers-Eagleton poll found that 54 percent of New Jerseyans support an all-VBM election.