All VBM primary ‘still on the table,’ Murphy says

Gov. Phil Murphy said an all-vote-by-mail primary is still under consideration with New Jersey’s primaries delayed until July 7.

“It’s still on the table, yes, but no decisions,” Murphy said during Wednesday’s COVID-19 briefing. “And the good news is we don’t have to make a decision on that for a number of weeks.”

Election officials had told the New Jersey Globe they would have needed Murphy to make a decision on an all-VBM primary by last week, but the primary’s delay likely shifts that deadline considerably.

For now, the July 7 vote is expected to include in-person polling, though questions remain about the availability of poll workers and polling locations during what health officials in the state expect to be the tail end of the state’s COVID-19 crisis.