Stack bill to extend in-person early voting period in primaries considered today

The Senate Judiciary Committee will consider legislation sponsored by State Sen. Brian P. Stack (D-Union City) to increase the early voting period for primary elections from three days to ten, beginning this year.

Early voting in New Jersey took off like gangbusters in 2024, with 1,172,842 early votes cast at polling locations prior to Election Day; 27% of all votes cast were early, in-person.  That number eclipsed the 860,586 vote-by-mail ballots.   New Jerseyans cast 50.3% of the votes on November 5 in an election that produced a 64.7% turnout.

The original early voting bill offered extended days only in presidential years.  Stack, an early voting aficionado, has been trying to increase the in-person early voting period in primaries since last December.

Stack is the chairman of the Judiciary panel.