COVID-19’s Impact on Upcoming Elections in New Jersey
Gov. Murphy postpones many elections, calls for mail-in balloting; his executive order will affect 34 separate elections in municipalities with close to 730,000 registered voters
By Colleen O’Dea, NJ Spotlight
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy yesterday postponed upcoming local and school board elections until May 12 and ordered that all elections on that date be conducted completely by mail-in balloting to help stem the spread of COVID-19.
The only change Murphy ordered so far affecting the June primary is allowing candidates to file their nominating petitions online, but he didn’t rule out the possibility of having that election conducted by mail statewide if necessary.
“We have no timetable to make any assessment on the June 2 election, but obviously it’s at the top of mind,” Murphy said during his daily briefing on the pandemic. “If we need to act and adjust that in any way, we will do so on a timely basis.”