Both chambers of the state legislature passed a bill to raise the number of nominating petition signatures a candidate needs to access most ballots in the state.
The legislation would more than double many of the thresholds to reach the ballot: To qualify for a statewide office slot on a primary ballot, candidates would have to obtain 2,500 signatures, an increase from 1,000. Congressional candidates would have to earn 500 signatures to reach a primary ballot, an increase from 200. State Senate and Assembly candidates would be required to obtain 250 signatures, an increase from 100.
Independent candidates looking for a spot on the general election ballot will be required to obtain 2,000 signatures in statewide races (an increase from 800) and 250 for other races (an increase from 100).
The bill passed on party lines in both chambers. It now goes to the governor’s desk for his signature.
State Sen. James Beach (D-Oaklyn), a sponsor of the bill in the Senate, told reporters earlier this month that ballots have become more complicated in recent years, at least partly because of the “clutter” of noncompetitive candidates.
“It’s important that we have serious candidates, and it’s important that we are not experiencing clutter on the ballots,” Beach said.
The bill, which was originally passed by the Assembly in 2024, was to go into effect on the Jan. 1 following its approval. But 2025 arrived before the Senate voted on it, so the bill as written would not have gone into effect until Jan. 1, 2026. The rewritten clause allows the bill to take effect retroactively.