This June marks a significant shift in New Jersey's primary elections, as voters will use a new ballot system to elect gubernatorial and legislative candidates. Last year, a federal judge deemed the previous county line primary ballots likely unconstitutional due to their tendency to favor candidates endorsed by local party leaders. In response, Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation mandating all 21 counties adopt an office block primary ballot similar to those used in most other states.
The elimination of the county line has already influenced this year's election landscape. Many Democratic and Republican gubernatorial candidates opted not to seek county party endorsements—a move that previously would have been seen as detrimental. The change has also resulted in more than twice the number of contested legislative races compared to two years ago, despite a historic number of incumbent retirements in 2023.
New Jersey’s primaries have traditionally lacked competitiveness due to the preferential treatment afforded by the county line system. This often led candidates without such support to withdraw from races, resulting in uncontested primaries. Now, with six Democratic and five Republican gubernatorial candidates running this year, any candidate could potentially win—especially within the closely contested Democratic primary.
Dr. Julia Sass Rubin highlights the importance of voter turnout: "Elections, both primary and general, have real consequences, and not voting is a decision to allow others to determine your future." Voters must register by May 20 for the June primary and declare their party affiliation; however, unaffiliated voters can switch affiliations up until June 10.
Rubin serves as associate dean at Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and was an expert witness in the lawsuit that ended the county line ballot practice.
