Politics & Government

Murphy Says NJ Voter Turnout 'Likely Highest In State History'

The governor said 3.5 million residents already voted, 90 percent of the total in 2016. He also advised using dropboxes.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he expects record voter turnout in the 2020 election.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he expects record voter turnout in the 2020 election. (Ashley Ludwig/Patch)

NEW JERSEY — On the eve of a historic presidential election between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, and with several important issues on the New Jersey ballot, Gov. Phil Murphy Tweeted on Monday afternoon that it looked like voter turnout might be the "highest in state history."

He said that 3.54 million New Jerseyans had already voted, which is 90 percent of the total turnout during the 2016 presidential race. Many of the ballots have already been cast by those using vote-by-mail in the Tuesday election.

Besides the presidential election, there are three public questions on the New Jersey ballot, as well as numerous congressional and local races. (See our voter guide below for more details.)

Find out what's happening in Hobokenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Whether you plan to vote by mail or in person, here's everything you need to know about casting your ballot in New Jersey.

What and who are on the ballot?

  • Presidential race: Residents can either cast a write-in vote or choose, among the major parties, between Republican President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, or Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden and US Sen. Kamala Harris. Also running are: Don Blankenship/William Mohr (Constitution Party); Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (Green); Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (Libertarian); Gloria La Riva/Sunil Freeman (Party for Socialism and Liberation); Roque De La Fuente/Darcy Richardson (The Alliance Party) and Bill Hammons/Eric Bodenstab (Unity Party).
  • US Congress: One US Senate seat will be contested: Incumbent Democrat Cory Booker will face Republican Rik Mehta. All 12 of the state's congressional seats will be decided. New Jersey's delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives is split between 10 Democrats and two Republicans heading into Election Day. See congressional races on your local ballot here.
  • Marijuana legalization/Ballot questions: Voters will decide whether to legalize the possession and use of marijuana. Voters will also decide whether to makes peacetime veterans eligible to receive the veterans' property tax deduction.

I received my ballot. Now what?

As part of the primarily vote-by-mail mandate issued by Gov. Phil Murphy and codified by the legislature for the upcoming Tuesday election, all ballots to "active voters" were sent by the Garden State's county clerks by the Monday, Oct. 5 deadline.
So now what?

Find out what's happening in Hobokenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

For those who have already received their ballots, it is simply a matter of filling them out and returning them.
There are a variety of ways to return them:

  • In-person at a polling location on election day
  • Mailing them back through the Unites State Postal Service
  • Dropping them in a secure drop dox located in many municipalities.

Want to be the first to get news alerts with breaking stories in your town, or to get a free local newsletter each morning? Sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Hoboken