In advance of Election Day, 348,406 New Jersey voters cast their ballots for the 2024 primary election, a turnout of roughly 8.6% statewide, an analysis conducted by Ryan Dubicki, an Associated Press election researcher, shows.
Before today, Democrats had a statewide turnout of 10.5%, while Republicans were at 8.6%.
Election officials mailed out 518,394 vote-by-mail ballots to Democrats and 170,684 to Republicans. Democrats have returned 43.8% of those ballots and the GOP had a return rate of 38.5%.
That means 400,324 VBM voters have not yet returned their ballots. Those can be deposited in secure drop boxes by 8 PM tonight. Vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by 8 PM tonight will be counted as long as they arrive at the county Board of Elections by the close of business on June 10. Still, if any of those voters show up at their polling locations, they will need to vote using a provisional ballot.
Between May 29 and June 2, 55,181 in-person early votes were cast. Democrats cast 33,99, and Republicans made up 21,181. Both parties had an early voting turnout of roughly 1.4%.
Both parties have competitive primaries for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Jersey’s 3rd district, where three-term incumbent Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) is giving up his House seat to run for the U.S. Senate.
On the Democratic side, 12.5% of voters cast their ballots in advance; the return rate for mail-in ballots is 49.4%. 23,713 VBMs are in-hand and 3,353 in-person early votes were cast.
For Republicans, 5.9% of votes came in advance of Election Day. The GOP has a VBM return rate of 41.2%; 6,998 mail-in ballots have been received, and 2,375 in-person early votes were cast.
In the 8th district, where Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) is locked in a bitter primary fight with Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, advance voter turnout is at 7%. 38.3% of Democrats have returned their vote-by-mail ballots, and 5,866 in-person, early votes were cast; 43% of all early votes in the 8th district came from Union City voters.
In Passaic County, where the Democratic organization and former Sheriff Jerry Speziale battling for control of county government, 5.7% of Democrats have already voted.