TRENTON Gov. Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 120, postponing the June 2 primary election to Tuesday, July 7 in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This includes primaries for President, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, 25th District of the New Jersey Legislature, and county and municipal elections, as well as county committee elections. Last month, Gov. Murphy issued Executive Order No. 105, which delayed certain elections set to take place in March and April until May 12.
Preserving basic functions of our democracy is critical in this unprecedented time, Gov. Murphy said. Citizens exercising their right to vote should not have to risk their safety and the safety of others in order to make their voices heard. Postponing our primary elections is a difficult, yet necessary, choice to ensure that our citizens can partake in their civic duty of voting.
Gov. Murphy's decision to move New Jersey's primary election to July 7 will provide our state, county and local election officials with the time we need to prepare for a free, fair, and safe election for New Jersey voters. Secretary of State Tahesha Way said.
The Order also states that all deadlines for meeting statutory requirements for a primary election that are currently scheduled to occur after April 11 will be calculated using the July 7, 2020 primary election date. This would not affect any deadlines that 1) have already passed, such as the filing deadline for candidate petitions for the primary election, or 2) will pass prior to April 11. The only exception is the deadline for change of party affiliation declaration forms to be filed, which is currently scheduled for April 8 and will move to May 13.
Additionally, independent candidate petitions will be due by 4 p.m. July 7, and the electronic signature and submission requirements that were set forth in Executive Order No. 105 for primary candidates will be extended to these independent candidate petitions.
Election rules have been modified during prior emergencies, including by Governor Kean in 1982 during a severe winter storm and by the Christie Administration in 2012 in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
