Voting Underway in NJ’s 2023 General Election
This year’s General Election in New Jersey is expected to be one of the most interesting, and expensive, election cycles in recent history. Each of New Jersey’s 40 Senate seats and 80 Assembly seats are on the ballot and will be fought on a new legislative map – the one approved in early 2022 by a bi-partisan redistricting commission. The new map is partially responsible for a massive amount of turnover this year; fully one-quarter of the legislature is retiring or seeking another office.
Republican campaigns have focused on issues such as parental rights in education, offshore wind, and high taxes, all of which have put Democrats in competitive districts on high alert. The Democratic rebuttal has focused on abortion – a winning issue for the party since the fall of Roe v. Wade last summer – and the state’s new property tax relief programs.
New Jersey Globe’s 2023 Voter’s Guide provides an in-depth analysis of the campaigns in each of New Jersey’s 40 legislative districts.
The seventh day of early voting for the 2023 general election begins today. Early voting centers are open today from 10 AM to 8 PM. The final day for early voting is Sunday, November 5, from 10 AM to 6 PM.
Voters may vote from any designated in-person early voting location in the county in which they are registered. Click HERE for a list of early voting poll locations in each county.
Early voting is just one of many options to vote in the upcoming election.
Vote-by-mail ballots may be dropped in secure drop boxes or returned by the U.S. Postal Service; ballots must be postmarked by 8 PM on November 8 and delivered to the county Board of Elections no later than close of business on Monday, November 14.
Click HERE for a list of secure ballot drop box locations across the state.
On Election Day, Tuesday, November 8, from 6 AM to 8 PM. Click HERE to find your polling location.
Tammy Murphy to Explore US Senate Bid
According to multiple news sources, New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy has plans to seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate by filing with the Federal Election Commission. A formal announcement for the seat currently held by indicted Democratic incumbent Bob Menendez could come sometime in the next few weeks.
She would likely face Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown), a three-term congressman and former Obama White House staffer, in the June 2024 Democratic primary. Rep. Kim raised $1 million in his first week as a Senate candidate.
Menendez, who faces charges of bribery, conspiracy, and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, has not yet announced his re-election plans. A Stockton University Poll released last week shows his approval ratings at 8%, with 71% of New Jerseyans saying they want him to resign.
Murphy, 58, is the chair of NJ/NY Gotham FC, a women’s professional soccer team, and a staunch advocate for women’s health and maternal and infant care. She is also a prolific fundraiser who served as her husband’s finance chair and raised money for the Democratic Governors Association and other national candidates.
Former New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey took a significant step toward a run for mayor of Jersey City in 2025 by filing a campaign committee with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.
Orstead Cancels 2 NJ Offshore Wind Farms
On Tuesday night, Danish company Ørsted announced it will “cease development” for what was slated to be New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm, as well as plans for its second project.
It’s a blow to Governor Phil Murphy’s ambitious clean energy goals and a stunning development for environmentalists supporting the energy alternative, once thought to be operational at the Jersey Shore between 2025 and 2026.
Governor Murphy, who has made clean energy a cornerstone of his administration, was angered by the decision — releasing a statement against the company, which had affirmed its support for New Jersey in September.
“Today’s decision by Ørsted to abandon its commitments to New Jersey is outrageous and calls into question the company’s credibility and competence,” he said. “As recently as several weeks ago, the company made public statements regarding the viability and progress of the Ocean Wind 1 project.”
State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-Holmdel) and the Assembly members from District 13 said the announcement did not come as a surprise to anyone who has been looking at the ledger.
“Tonight’s announcement by Ørsted is not a surprise to those who have been relentless in questioning the governor’s overzealous ‘green’ energy mandates,” they said in a late-night release. “For those of us who simply asked reasonable questions about the long-term, practicable and financial viability of the proposed offshore projects, this is an ‘I-told-you-so’ moment.”
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