Choosing or Changing Political Party Affiliation

Voters can declare or change their party affiliation by completing one of two forms: a Voter Registration Application or a Party Affiliation Form. Both forms are submitted to the County Board of Elections, 83 Spring St., Suite 305, Newton, NJ 07860.

The Primary Elections
Each year in June, New Jersey holds two Primary elections: the Democratic Primary and the Republican Primary. The primary elections allow voters to determine which candidates in their respective party will represent them at the next ensuing General Election in November.

New Jersey’s primaries are “closed,” which means that registered voters of the state must declare [or affiliate with] either the Republican or Democratic party in order to vote in that party’s Primary Election.

Registered members of the Green Party, Libertarian Party, Natural Law Party, Reform Party, U.S. Constitution Party or the Conservative Party can participate in the convention of their respective party, according to its bylaws, but they may not vote in either the Democratic or Republican primaries.

Voters have until 55 days prior to the Primary Election to declare a party, in order to be eligible to vote in the June Primary elections, unless it is their first time voting in a primary, in which case they are able to declare a party at the polls or at the time they request a mail-in ballot if voting by mail. The voter then will be affiliated with that party unless and until they change party affiliation or declare themselves unaffiliated.