N.J. voter rolls grow by 8.5k in May, with large Democratic gains ahead of primary

New Jersey’s voter rolls grew by more than 8,500 people in May, with Democrats adding more than 7,000 last month, state data shows. 

With last month’s registrants tallied, 6,688,363 people are now registered to vote in New Jersey, an increase of 8,514 from the month prior. The growth largely belonged to Democrats, who added 7,639 and now total 2,543,355.

Republicans added 1,428 voters and now possess a total of 1,678,469. The overall rates remain similar. The state is 38.0% Democratic, 25.1% Republican, and 35.8% unaffiliated.

The decrease in unaffiliated voters — a change from most recent months, when the number of unaffiliated has surged — reflects some New Jerseyans opting to register with a party to vote in this year’s various contentious primaries. Primary day is Tuesday.

New Jersey also added about 8,000 voters in April, but those largely signed up as unaffiliated voters.

Growth was similar in New Jersey’s 7th congressional district, where four Democrats are racing for the nomination to take on Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield). The 7th district saw an increase of 744 voters last month — Democrats added 787, while Republicans added 212. (The number of unaffiliated voters dropped by 272.)

Republicans, though, still hold a narrow overall advantage in the district. State data shows 217,375 Republicans are signed up in the 7th, while there are 198,430 Democratic registrants. The 213,297 unaffiliated voters in the 7th are still key, however.

Voter registration trends don’t directly correlate to election results. Republicans tacked on voters throughout 2025, yet Democrat Mikie Sherrill still won a landslide victory in November’s gubernatorial race.