Our guide to New Jersey's 2023 elections for Legislature, local offices and school boards
Election Day in New Jersey is Tuesday, Nov. 7. Residents wishing to cast ballots vote early at in-person polling places have been able to do so since Oct. 28, and others have requested ballots to vote by mail.
On the ballot across New Jersey this fall are:
40 seats in the state Senate
80 seats in the Assembly
Numerous local contests
Numerous school board contests
Results
NorthJersey.com will publish results for contests across the state, as well as in these Northern New Jersey counties: Bergen, Passaic, Morris, Essex and Sussex. Check back after polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Election guide
Here's everything you need to know about:
What the political dynamics are, according to columnist Charles Stile
Results for statewide, county, municipal and school board votes
Editor's note: This guide will be updated regularly as additional coverage is published.
Voting information
Voting has begun in NJ. Here are three ways to cast your ballot in this fall's election
As voting is under way in New Jersey, here's a guide to the three ways voters can submit their ballots through Election Day, Nov. 7.
Voting by mail has begun for the Nov. 7 election in NJ. What you need to know
Voting is under way in the Garden State. Here's what you need to know if you want to vote by mail.
NJ's 2023 election FAQ: Voter registration, ballot deadlines, vote-by-mail and more
We answer your questions about the process to vote in New Jersey's fall election.
This is what New Jersey officials are doing to ensure a smooth election
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has pledged his office's resources to ensure a free and fair election.
Mike Kelly: I voted early in NJ. It works, it's here to stay and we must embrace it
Democracy has been slow to catch up to the pace of today's digital world. Early voting is a fit for our busy lives in New Jersey. We should embrace it, Mike Kelly writes.
Races for the Legislature
These are six NJ legislative races to watch this fall
All 120 seats in the Legislature are on the ballot in November, and with them, control of New Jersey state government. Here are six legislative races to watch.
This is how much money candidates for the NJ Legislature have raised for the election
Candidates for seats in the Legislature have raised more money than they had in more than a decade in advance of November's general election.
According to reports filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, legislative candidates raised $37.6 million between June 24 and Oct. 6. That's the highest total raised by candidates — after adjusting for inflation — since the 2007 legislative election.
Here are the groups behind NJ election ads and how much they spent
With New Jersey’s Nov. 7 election fast approaching, voters’ mailboxes, televisions and webpages are starting to fill with political ads pushing them on how to vote and attacking the opposing party’s candidates. While some ads are self-explanatory and clearly come from candidates and their political parties, others include disclaimers that say they are paid for by vaguely named groups that don’t give much indication to voters about who they are and why they are driving a particular message.
In competitive 38th District, Democrats tout achievements while Republicans pose questions
Democrats representing the 38th Legislative District will try to keep their seats in the state Senate and Assembly in the first election with a newly redrawn district map.
11th District: All eyes on race between Sen. Vin Gopal, Stephen Dnistrian
No legislative race at the Shore is turning out to be more of a nail-biter this year than in the competitive 11th District of Monmouth County, where incumbent state Sen. Vin Gopal is facing a formidable challenge from Republican businessman Stephen Dnistrian.
This Central Jersey legislative race reflects the national partisan divide
The state legislative races in District 16, which extends from High Bridge to Princeton, is reflective of the national partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans.
Is 3rd District race for Senate in South Jersey a 2021 repeat?
The 3rd Legislative District is a must-watch in political circles for the second election cycle in a row, especially the ticket-topping match between first-term Republican Sen. Edward Durr and Democrat John Burzichelli.
Lakewood Vaad backs Orthodox Democrat for Assembly seat
The Vaad, Lakewood’s influential Orthodox leadership group, has offered a change in its coveted endorsements, backing Democratic challenger Rabbi Avi Schnall in the 30th legislative Assembly race. The Vaad did endorse Republican State senator Robert Singer, a former Lakewood mayor, and Republican Assemblyman Sean Kean, in the same district.
Issues in the legislative campaigns
This is why affordability and the economy are issues in NJ's legislative election
Affordability and the economy are hot-button issues in the 2023 election for the New Jersey Legislature. Here's why,
This is why reproductive rights are an issue in NJ's legislative election
Many voters are concerned about access to abortion and reproductive rights in advance of the election for the New Jersey Legislature.
This is why LGBTQ+ rights are an issue in NJ's legislative election
Ahead of the approaching November elections, LGBTQ+ communities in New Jersey are keeping close eyes on where state legislative candidates stand on issues such as gender-affirming care and bans on LGBTQ+ books in grade schools.
This is why parental rights are an issue in NJ's elections
Call it a dog whistle for Republicans or a political powder keg for Democrats, but the issue of parental rights in K-12 education is driving deep divisions between voters over how much influence parents should have in running public schools.
These are the issues NJ legislative candidates aren't really talking about this fall
While much attention is often paid to what politicians are talking about, the topics that they aren’t addressing can often be more interesting. Here are some of the challenges New Jersey faces that aren't coming up on the campaign trail.
New Jersey's immigrants could be the difference on Election Day, but turnout's a challenge
New Jersey is home to about 1.2 million naturalized citizens. On Tuesday, when all 120 seats in the New Jersey Legislature are up for election, these citizens will have the opportunity to vote for their candidate of choice. However, voter turnout can be a challenge when it comes to naturalized citizens, who make up about 13% of the state's population. And New Jersey has a lot of newly minted citizens.
Charlie Stile
Here's a selection of recent work penned by veteran politial columnist Charles Stile:
Can NJ Democrats spin their wind power debacle? They're facing rough seas
There is no way for New Jersey Democrats to sugarcoat it: Ørsted’s Halloween night announcement that it was abandoning its ambitious and controversial plans to build massive wind energy turbines off the New Jersey coast is a political debacle for the party.
On the Jersey Shore campaign trail, Democrats fret about a possible 'red wave'
On the campaign trail at the Jersey Shore, Democrats' concerns about a potential GOP 'red wave' were on full display.
Why won't NJ Democrats leverage support of gun control against GOP candidates?
Why aren't New Jersey Democats using their support for gun control measures as a wedge against their Republican rivals in this fall's campaign?
Family-friendly NJ Democrats turn to the middle as vote looms. Here's why
Democrats, depicted as “woke” radicals who want to move the country too far and too fast to the left, are pushing a new image in this fall's races for the New Jersey Legislature. Candidates, especially those in danger of being dislodged from their competitive districts, are presenting themselves as the homespun offspring of Ozzie and Harriet who are concerned about property taxes and other kitchen table issues.
How can NJ legislative candidates support both parents' rights and LGBTQ+ rights?
Parental rights activists, who have infiltrated local school boards this past year, have launched a broad, vocal campaign to roll back perceived liberal excesses in public school policy, and Republican candidates have quickly embraced the effort.
Are anxious NJ Dems turning from Platkin's parental rights fight? It looks like it
New Jersey Democrats are eager for Attorney General Matthew Platkin to dial down the energy on school districts and gender issues. And one of the things that they would now like to see happen? They'd like to see Platkin's Division on Civil Rights cool its heels and stay out of the courtroom.
Why abortion is a key issue for Democrats in NJ's 2023 legislative election
The New Jersey Democratic Party has a desire to make abortion and reproductive rights defining issues this November, when all 120 seats in the Legislature are on New Jersey's ballots.
Phil Murphy balks at NJ hosting migrants as Democrats fret about the Legislature
Suddenly, the governor who greenlighted drivers' licenses for undocumented drivers, in-state tuition rates for their children, and blocks of pandemic relief aid when the Legislature balked sounded as if he was putting up a verbal equivalent of concertina wire around the state's borders.
'We’re coming for you': Parental rights inflames the NJ fall races
New Jersey Republican leaders believe the anger over the parental rights movement can be spun into political gold. They see the debate as one of several wedge issues that could rally the core conservative base and attract independents and suburban Democrats in competitive districts.
Can a second ANCHOR payment help NJ Democrats get over the line in November?
New Jersey Democrats are betting their control of the state Legislature on property-tax rebates. Can the strategy work?
NJ county elections
Bergen County commissioners race: Two Republican challengers and two incumbent Democrats
Two Republican newcomers are looking for seats at the Democratic-controlled county commissioners' table. Incumbent Democrats Joan Voss and Rafael Marte are looking to keep their seats in the Nov. 7 election and are hoping to fend off challenges from Republicans Agninshalah Collins and Mary Jo-Ann Guinchard.
In Passaic County Board of Commissioners election, Dems face slate of women GOP newcomers
A year after a decisive sweep in county-level elections, Passaic County Democrats are aiming once again to retain the status quo on the Board of Commissioners and in the Clerk's Office. The county's Regular Republican Organization is conversely seeking to break the Democrats' recent stranglehold on those seats and has backed a full slate of female candidates to do the job.
Essex County elections: A look at the contested races
Nine seats on the Essex County Board of Commissioners are up for grabs this November. All seven of those contested races feature incumbent Democrats vying for re-election against Republican challengers.
A town-by-town look at ballots in Sussex County for Election Day
Tuesday is Election Day and ballots in Sussex County include races for state Legislature, county commissioner and surrogate as well as local municipal elections.
NJ school board elections
Grassroots groups battle to affect NJ school board races. Who are they? What's at stake?
Book bans and school transgender policies are some of the key issues fueling this election season’s emotion-packed school board races. And driving these battles are local Facebook groups, grassroots volunteers, nonprofits and even some political action committees working to push like-minded candidates to victory. They belong to two camps: advocates of greater parental control over public schools, and advocates of public education.
As NJ school issues become more politicized, NJEA is among top spenders this election
With school board elections in New Jersey becoming more politicized, the New Jersey Education Association — the state’s largest public school teachers’ union — was the fourth-biggest spender in the current election season, according to a report released by the state agency overseeing elections.
Bergen County
See where candidates for the Ramapo Indian Hills school board stand
Six candidates are vying for three seats on the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School Board of Education in the Nov. 7 elections. The district's two high schools serve students in Franklin Lakes, Oakland and Wyckoff.
Meet the seven candidates running for two Ridgewood school board seats
Seven candidates have filed to run for two seats on the five-member Board of Education on Nov. 7.
Meet the six candidates running for three Mahwah Board of Education seats
There is only one incumbent running among six candidates competing for three full-term seats on the nine-member Board of Education on Nov. 7.
Six run for three available Teaneck school board seats. Meet the candidates
Only one incumbent is among the six candidates running for three seats on the Teaneck Board of Education on Nov. 7.
Four people are running for two Upper Saddle River school board seats. Meet the candidates
Four candidates are vying for two seats on the seven-member pre-K-8 Board of Education on Nov. 7. The district serves 1,107 students in three buildings.
Get to know the nine candidates running for three seats on Hackensack Board of Education
Voters will choose among nine candidates for three seats on the city's Board of Education in the Nov. 7 election.
Here's where Westwood school candidates stand in district fired up by parental rights
It's been a tempestuous time for the Westwood Regional School District Board of Education. Since the spring, meetings in the K-12 district have routinely drawn hundreds of people to debate the board's decisions and statements concerning sex education, parental notifications and LGBTQ+ Pride signs. One meeting was stopped after a scuffle broke out. Not surprisingly, the Nov. 7 school board election will be just as contested.
Passaic County
Paterson’s school board election battle includes seven current and former board members
More than 50 years’ worth of combined experience: That’s what the contenders in the upcoming Board of Education election have to offer to voters. Seven of the nine candidates in the race have previously won school board elections in the city, a group that includes four incumbents and four former members.
Morris County
Roxbury school board race focuses on clash of parental rights, LGBTQ+ policies
The Roxbury Board of Education has been embroiled in the national debate over LGBTQ-themed materials and parental rights at school, with the rhetroic growing bitter enough to spur a lawsuit by the high school librarian. The issues have dominated the debate between two sets of candidates running for school board in next Tuesday's election.
NJ local elections
In Dover election, former mayor Dodd readies for debate, eyes return to office
Sidelined for the past four years following a seismic election loss, former four-term Dover Mayor James Dodd appears close to reclaiming his familiar seat in Town Hall.
Boonton voters will pick their fourth mayor in a decade. These issues may decide the race
There's one thing Boonton voters can count on this Election Day: They'll choose another new mayor, their fourth in a decade.
Oakland mayor, councilman facing off for leadership post in November election
Mayor Linda Schwager and Councilman Eric Kulmala will again square off for the borough's leadership post in the Nov. 7 general election.
New faces coming to Parsippany council. Here's where they stand on tax hikes, development
With three seats available in the November election and the retirements of two veteran council members — one of whom first took office in 1982 — the Parsippany council will have at least two new members aboard in 2024.
The question is, can the Democrats regain the two seats they lost in 2021? And maybe one more to claim a council majority?
Morris County election guide 2023: Races to watch in Parsippany, Morristown and beyond
Election Day 2023 is upon us. In Morris County, dozens of seats on local school boards and municipal governments will be on the ballot. All 120 state legislative offices are also up for grabs in New Jersey this year.
Clifton voters will be asked to approve open space fund on Election Day
The city's voters will be asked in next Tuesday's election whether they want to set up an Open Space and Recreation Fund to preserve or purchase land. If voters say yes and the fund question passes, taxpayers would pay one penny for every $100 of assessed value and would raise in excess of $500,000. For instance, a home assessed at $350,000 would pay an additional $35 per year, or a $1 million assessed home's tax bill would increase by $100 per year.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ election 2023: How to vote, results, issues and candidates
