N.J. adds 11k to voter rolls; most unaffiliated

New Jersey added 10,974 registered voters to its ranks in July, most of whom signed up as independents, according to state data.

The GOP added 1,651 voters to its ranks in July, while Democrats lost 2,401. Another 12,256 registered as unaffiliated voters.

A total of 6,591,590 New Jerseyans are now registered to vote. Bergen County accounted for a major portion of the gains, with 2,396 additional registrants. Monmouth County added 1,380 and Union added 1,279.

After a strong month in June for Democrats, the GOP gains are the resumption of a prior pattern. Democrats gained about 82k and Republicans gained about 41k in June, or primary month. Democrats at one point held a one-million-voter gap over Republicans, a buffer that fell to 827,000 in May. With their strong June, the gap went back up to about 869,000, undoing months of GOP improvement, but the July numbers could be a return to the trend.

Republicans, like influencer Scott Presler, have put significant energy into registering voters in the state.

In the 3rd, 8th, and 21st legislative districts, which are expected to be among the most competitive in the state this fall, there were increases of 690, 252, and 613 registrants, respectively. New unaffiliated voters account for a clear majority of the new registrants in those districts.

A little more than 1,500 New Jerseyans registered in the 7th congressional district last month, where Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) will seek re-election in one of the country’s most-watched races. Democrats added 108 registrants, Republicans lost 22, and 1,464 unaffiliated voters joined the rolls. Republicans maintain a registration advantage in the district, beating Democrats 216,065-195,971.