Photo courtesy of nj.com.
On June 4, New Jersey citizens from both sides of the political spectrum will be casting their ballots in the 2024 Primary election. While the General Election is not until November of this year, Tuesday’s Primary election will be used to determine which candidate from each political party, will be put into the General Election.
Here is everything voters need to know before the Primary election day.
Who Can Vote and Where
Residents of New Jersey that are 18 years or older by this year’s election can vote. Most recently, with a bill being signed in 2019 by Governor Phil Murphy, individuals who are on probation or parole are allowed to vote as well.
If you haven’t voted by mail already or voted during the early voting process, then you can vote in person by finding a polling station on vote.org.
If you have dropped off your mail-in ballots, you can track them through New Jersey’s state website. If there are any issues with mail-in ballots, one can also request a paper provisional ballot. Voters will have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to cast their ballots.
Who Is Running
There are a total of 13 officials running for the U.S. senate, five of those being Democrats and eight of those being Republicans. On the ballot for June 4, there are also primary elections for U.S House. Those looking to fill a seat for U.S House for District 8, which represents Hudson County, are Rob Menendez, son of Bob Menendez who was indicted with bribery charges in September, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, Kyle Jasey and Anthony Valdes.
Presidential candidates will also be on Tuesday’s primary ballot including Democrats Joe Biden–the current president–and newcomer Teresa Bukovinac along with sole Republican candidate Donald Trump after eight other candidates dropped out. Trump was recently found guilty of 34 felony counts in his hush-money trial, becoming the first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes.
You may also notice on your ballot “UNCOMMITTED, Justice for Palestine, Ceasefire Now” under the Democratic Choice For President. This is a movement in New Jersey which calls people to vote “Uncommitted.” This campaign does not endorse either party and instead aims to “stand with the people who are experiencing genocide in Palestine and demand justice for Palestine and a permanent ceasefire now.” Those registered as Democrat voters can vote “uncommitted,” which will “let Biden know New Jersey uncommits from genocide and apartheid.”
U.S. Senate
Democrats
- Patricia Campos Medina
- Kevin Cupples
- Lawrence Hamm
- Andrew Kim
- Patrick Merrill
Republicans
- Curtis Bashaw
- Micahael Estrada
- Albert Harshaw
- Shirley Maia-Cusick
- Gregg Mele
- Justin Murphy
- Christine Serrano Glassner
- Alex Zdan
U.S House
District 1:
- Counties: Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Democrat: Donald Norcross Republican: Damon Galdo, Nicholas Whitelock
District 2:
- Counties Atlantic,Cape May, Cumberland, SalemDemocrats: Tim Alexander, Carolyn Rush, Brandon Saffold, Joe SalernoRepublican: Jeff Van Drew
District 3:
- Counties: Burlington, Mercer, MonmouthDemocrats: Joseph Cohn, Herbert C. Conaway Jr, Carol Murphy, Sarah SchoengoodRepublican: Shirley Maia-Cusick, Gregory Sobocinski
District 4:
- Counties: Monmouth, OceanDemocrats: Pam DanielsRepublicans: Chris Smith
District 8:
- Counties: Essex, Hudson, UnionDemocrats: Robert Menedez Jr, Ravinder Bhalla, Kyle JaseyRepublican: Anthony Valdes
District 12:
- Counties: Mercer, Somerset,UnionDemocrats: Bonnie WatsonRepublicans: Shola Coker, Darius Mayfield
Voting Matters
Primary elections have implications on the day-to-day lives of over nine million residents living in New Jersey. With primary elections, residents have a chance to choose leaders that best represent their district and country.
“Local politics has the most direct effect on your standard of living and resources. If you’re only voting nationally then you’re only doing half your homework,” said Daishawn Kemp, a 31 year-old Public Servant in Bayonne.
During the last Primary election only 12% of Hudson county’s eligible voters actually attended the polls.
With much of the older generation becoming aware of the importance of the primary elections, much of the younger generation does not feel the same way.
“While I do vote, I don’t really feel that my vote matters,” said Matthew Russell, a 22 year-old resident of Jersey City.
Back in 2020, the United States fell to the lower half of youth turnout on a global scale with about 24 other nations holding elections that year — 46% of the youth actually came out to vote in all elections.
The issue that a number of studies have shown and that many advocates argued for is that “low turnout means that important local issues are determined by a limited group of voters, making a single vote even more statistically meaningful.”
While your vote may not directly elect a candidate, “if your vote joins enough others in your voting district or county, your vote undoubtedly matters when it comes to electoral results,” according to National Geographic Education.
For a more comprehensive guide on the candidates in your county, visit NJ Decides 2024 and their ongoing coverage.
