A guide to voting in New Jersey’s November 2025 election

New Jerseyans will soon be able to cast their ballots in the Nov. 4 general election.

To help you navigate the elections process in the state, the New Jersey Independent is publishing this voting guide, which includes details on candidates, finding polling locations, how to deal with problems that may arise on Election Day, and more.

When is the election?

The election is Tuesday, Nov. 4. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. As long as you are registered to vote in New Jersey and are in line at your polling place by 8 p.m., you will be able to vote.

Registering to vote 

The deadline to register to vote has passed; it was Oct. 14. To register for future elections, click here. Check your registration status here.

Voting by mail 

If you received a vote-by-mail ballot, your ballot must be postmarked on or before 8 p.m. on Election Day and received by your county’s Board of Elections office on or before the sixth day after the polls close in order for it to be counted. In 2025, that date is Nov. 10. The New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections notes on its website that voters should place their ballots in the mail at least a few days before Election Day to ensure they are postmarked on time.

You can also place your vote-by-mail ballot in a ballot drop box in your county by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Drop box locations can be found by clicking here.

Voters may also drop off their ballots in person at their county’s Board of Elections office by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Board of Elections addresses are located here. 

To check if your mail-in ballot has been received, you can head to the state’s online tracker or call your county clerk.

After the election, voters can call 1-877-658-6837 to find out whether their mail-in ballot was counted or the reason it was rejected.

Early in-person voting 

All registered voters may cast their ballot using a voting machine during an in-person early voting period that runs from Saturday, Oct. 25 through Sunday, Nov. 2. Every county offers in-person early voting locations. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. No appointment is necessary. To find your county’s early voting sites, go here.

How to vote in person

On Election Day, head to your polling place to cast your ballot. If you’re not sure where your polling place is, you can find it listed online.

What to bring on Election Day

If you’re voting for the first time and you registered by mail, you may need to show identification at your polling place if you did not provide a driver’s license number, non-driver identification number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number when you registered by mail. To see accepted forms of identification, go here.

What happens if your name isn’t in the poll book?

If you arrive at your polling place but poll workers can’t find your name in their records, you have the right to vote using a provisional ballot, which will be counted later if your eligibility to vote is established. You can request a provisional ballot at your polling place.

After the election, voters can call 1-877-658-6837 to find out whether their provisional ballot was counted or the reason it was rejected.

How to report voter intimidation or other election issues

Threatening, harassing or intimidating voters is illegal. Voters who have encountered threats, harassment, intimidation, or other issues while trying to cast their ballots can call the state’s toll-free voter information assistance line at 1-877-658-6837. You can also contact your county superintendent of elections or your county board of elections.

If you’ve been the victim of discrimination or harassment while exercising your right to vote, you can file an online report with the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights or call 1-833-653-2748. 

If you encounter other problems voting, such as a polling location not being open, you can call the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey’s hotline at 866-687-8683 or the New Jersey Division of Elections at 1-877-658-6837.

Who is running?

Local races are happening across the state, including for all 80 New Jersey General Assembly seats, school boards, and municipal governments, among others. To see your sample ballot, go here.

New Jerseyans statewide will cast their ballots for governor and lieutenant governor.

Gubernatorial election 

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli are facing off to become New Jersey’s next governor. Sherrill’s running mate for lieutenant governor is Democrat Dale Caldwell; Ciattarelli’s running mate is Republican Jim Gannon. 

Sherrill, a Montclair resident, has represented New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District in the suburbs of northern New Jersey since 2019 and is a 1994 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who went on to spend nearly 10 years on active duty in the U.S. Navy, according to her biography on the House of Representatives website. She earned a master’s in global history from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2003. After leaving the Navy in 2003, Sherrill received a law degree from Georgetown University and went on to work for the U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey. There, she focused on developing crime prevention programs that centered around building trust between law enforcement and communities and helping people find employment, housing and education after leaving prison. Sherrill later became an assistant U.S. attorney before winning her seat in Congress.

While in Congress, Sherrill has worked to protect access to abortion for service members, secure millions of dollars for manufacturing in New Jersey, and better connect homeless youth and families with housing services and other assistance.

During her gubernatorial campaign, Sherrill has focused on decreasing utility costs for New Jerseyans, protecting reproductive rights and access to abortion, investing in mental health services for students, and lowering rent and other housing costs.

Sherill has garnered support for her gubernatorial bid from former President Barack Obama; former Gov. Christine Whitman, a Republican; Reproductive Freedom for All; the New Jersey Education Association’s political action committee; and other labor groups, including the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employees union.

Ciattarelli, who was born in Somerville and raised in the borough of Raritan, served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2011 through 2018. The 2025 gubernatorial election marks Ciattarelli’s third try for New Jersey’s governorship: He made unsuccessful bids for the office in 2017 and 2021. In 2017, he lost in the Republican primary, and he lost in the general election in 2021.

During his gubernatorial campaign, Ciattarelli has advocated for banning abortion at 20 weeks, which would make New Jersey’s abortion laws more restrictive than those of neighboring states. Pennsylvania bans abortion at 24 weeks, while abortion is legal in New York through the 24th week of pregnancy. The Republican candidate has also backed defunding Planned Parenthood, according to reporting from the New Jersey Monitor. In New Jersey, Planned Parenthood provides a wide range of health care services, including abortions, cancer screenings, birth control, and annual wellness exams.

Ciattarelli has supported President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which are increasing costs for households and businesses in New Jersey and are expected to continue to do so in coming years. Funding cuts included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are expected to cause hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans to lose their health insurance and thousands of families to lose food aid, and to increase energy costs in the Garden State. Sherill has criticized the tariffs and voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

In his bid for governor, Ciattarelli is also pushing for the creation of “NJDOGE,” or the New Jersey Department of Government Efficiency, in a nod to the Trump administration department that has fired federal workers in the Garden State and across the country.

Trump has endorsed Ciattarelli for governor, as have former Republican Gov. Tom Kean and current Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Kean, Jr., several union locals and law enforcement organizations, among others.