Bill to raise nominating petition signatures faces delay in Senate

The state Senate’s planned vote on legislation to increase the number of nominating petition signatures needed to get on the ballot in New Jersey elections was delayed on Tuesday.

The bill, which was written and passed by the Assembly in 2024, was to go into effect on the Jan. 1 following its approval. But 2025 is here, so the bill as written would not have gone into effect until Jan. 1, 2026.

The bill was amended by voice vote in Tuesday’s state Senate session.

The bill, which passed the Assembly 46-28 in December, raises the number of signatures required to get on a statewide ballot from 1,000 to 2,500 in primary elections and from 800 to 2,000 in general elections. For U.S. House candidates, the threshold would rise from 200 to 500, and for State Senate and Assembly candidates, the requirements would go from 100 to 250 for both elections.

Legislators plan to pass the bill so it can take effect for this year’s primary nominating cycle. The Senate’s next session is planned for Feb. 25, but leaders are considering adding a session before then.

​​Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald introduced the bill to adjust signature requirements, including candidates for county, municipal, and school board candidates. State Sens. James Beach (D-Voorhees) and Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) are the Senate sponsors.

“Too many unserious and frivolous candidates that lack support from their community complicates ballot design, provides opportunity to confuse and misdirect voters away from candidates who have the support of their community, and erodes voter confidence in elected representative democracy,” Greenwald said.