Deadline for N.J. voter registration is Tuesday

To vote in this year’s midterm elections, New Jerseyans must be registered by Tuesday, October 18.

The elections, which take place on Tuesday, Nov. 8, will include Congressional, state, and local races, as well as school board elections and local ballot initiatives.

People can check if they are registered to vote through the state Division of Elections website, where people can also apply if they are not registered. A list of polling places is also shared on the website.

More than 6.4 million people were registered to vote in New Jersey as of Oct. 1, with Democrats holding a roughly 1 million voter advantage over Republicans, according to the state Division of Elections.

The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is also quickly approaching. People must request them online by Nov. 1, or visit their county clerk’s office through 3 p.m. on Nov. 7.

People can return their ballots using the secure drop boxes until 8 p.m. on Election Day.

There will also be an in-person early voting period that runs from Oct. 29 through Nov. 6. Polling locations are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voting rights advocates have been pushing for New Jersey to adopt same-day voter registration, allowing qualified residents to register to vote just before they cast their ballots. Supporters of same-day registration say it increases voter turnout and point to 20 other states that allow the practice.

While Gov. Phil Murphy said he supports same-day registration and lawmakers have proposed a bill to allow it, Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) is a key opponent. At the time he killed the bill in March, he said that “someone’s got to convince me why people have the sacred right to vote and they can’t decide they’re going to do it until that day.”