Election officials have reported receiving 221,148 mail-in ballots so far for the June 4 primary election, a return rate of 32%, according to an analysis by Associated Press election researcher Ryan Dubicki.
About 17% of all voters affiliated with one of the major political parties have requested vote-by-mail ballots – 517,257 Democrats and 170,178 Republicans; with 4,179 unaffiliated voters also receiving ballots, that brings the total number of VBMs mailed to 691,644.
Democrats have a return rate of 33% and Republicans are at 30%.
More than 36% of mail-in ballots have been returned in the Democratic primary for Congress in the 3rd district, where Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) giving up his seat to run for U.S. Senate. The return rate in Burlington (40%) is significantly higher than in Mercer (33%) and Monmouth (29%). A total of 40,005 ballots were mailed and 17,500 were returned.
In the Republican primary, 32% of the 16,948 vote-by-mail ballots were returned.
In the 8th district, returned Democratic primary ballots are at 29%, below the statewide average. Hudson is at 32.5%, Essex at 18%, and Union at 20%.
Among Democrats, Middlesex County has received the most VBM requests in the state (70,951), followed by Camden (65,497). But 41% of Camden Democrats have returned their ballots; in Middlesex, the Democratic return rate is 30%.