LibGuides: Voting 101: Elections & Voting Resources

Voting in New Jersey

Am I Registered?
Check your voter registration status!
Where do I Vote?
Use this resource to find your polling place.
Vote by Mail Application
If you want to Vote By Mail in NJ you have to complete an application request and submit it to your county clerk. Information to complete this process as well as application deadlines can be found using this link.
Track Your Mail in Ballot!
Many New Jersey voters will submit their votes via mail for the 2021 election. Use this link to register with the NJ election commission and track your mail in vote to ensure YOUR VOTE COUNTS!
My Voter Record Sign Up
Create a "My Voter Record" account in NJ. The account provides information about your voting history and upcoming elections.

Information regarding April 20th elections in NJ
This informational document contains some introductory details on the April elections in NJ. Note that not every municipality has an April election.

Secure Mail-in Ballot Drop Box Locations

If you chose to request a mail-in ballot but don't want to return it through the mail you can hand-deliver it to your county board of elections, or use a secure ballot drop box location found throughout the state. Find one near you by checking this complete list.

Know Your Voting Rights
Guide to your Voting rights provided by the ACLU of New Jersey! Do not let your right to vote be infringed!
NJ Division of Elections
Website for the NJ Division of elections. Register to vote, confirm voting status, candidate information, and more.

Elections & Voting Resources

Here is a useful list of web resources about the voting process in the U.S.

Project Vote Smart
Nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded by the Center for National Independence in Politics (Corvallis, OR), Project Vote Smart's web site contains comprehensive and current information about election issues, campaigns, and candidates in both federal and state elections. Most candidate profiles include voting records, positions on selected issues, biographical details, campaign finance data, and performance ratings coompiled by major political interest groups.

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The information is compiled by a broad network of volunteers and student interns.
Vote 411
Personalized voting resources. Locate your polling location, sample ballots, and candidate information.
New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) Database
The data contained in the ELEC database includes information as reported by candidates and committees. Currently contains voter contribution information for Primary and General elections (1985-2003). Can be searched by contributor name, candidate or committee name.
opensecrets.org
opensecrets.org is a project of the the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy. The site provides easy access to campaign finance data for every member of Congress. You can search by politician, donor, state, zip code, industry or interest group. All of the data is taken from public records (e.g., reports filed with the Federal Election Commission).
ANES: American National Election Studies
The American National Election Studies (ANES) produces high quality data on voting, public opinion, and political participation to serve the research needs of social scientists, teachers, students, policy makers and journalists who want to better understand the theoretical and empirical foundations of national election outcomes.
Find Your Representatives
Using your home address this search will provide names and contact information for federal and state level elected officials representing you.
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
The statistics available at the FEC's site fall into two general categories: 1) those dealing with voting and voter registration, and 2) those dealing with the financing of elections. Voter turnout and registration statistics are available back to 1960, although the earliest data is not very detailed. Campaign finance reports and data based on legally required disclosures and filings are available for federal elections to the 1996 campaigns.

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The fundraising activities of political parties and political action committees are also provided for 1995 to the present.
Political MoneyLine
Easy-to-use source of campaign funding information includes over a dozen databases you can use to search for the financial details about campaigns, candidates, donors, political action committees, parties, and foreign agents. Many of the links lead to official reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, although this site organizes paths to the information in a different way.

NJ Elections Timeline

2021 NJ Election Details & Timeline

NJ Primary Election Information

NJ has a "Semi-Closed" Primary system. This means in order to vote in a Primary election you must declare affiliation with a Political Party to vote in a Primary. Semi-Closed indicates that NJ allows for a registered voter to declare affiliation with a political party up to and including on Primary Voting day at their polling location. Voters currently affiliated with a Political Party can choose to change party affiliation by submitting a party affiliation form. Change of Party Affiliation forms must be completed 55 days prior to the scheduled Primary in NJ.

NJ Party Affiliation Information and Forms