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Early voting for the New Jersey primary election starts today. The election includes presidential, U.S. Senate, and all 12 House of Representative seats, as well as county and local races. Over 200,000 people have already submitted mail-in ballots. The official Primary Day is next Tuesday.
Among the key races, the 3rd and 8th congressional districts are expected to be closely contested. In the 8th District, incumbent Democratic Rep. Rob Menendez is challenged by Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla. Menendez's father, Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, is currently facing trial on charges of bribery and acting as a foreign agent.
In the 3rd District, Assemblyman Herb Conaway and Assemblywoman Carol Murphy, both Burlington County Democrats, are vying for the seat currently held by Congressman Andy Kim, who is running for the elder Menendez's Senate seat. Three other candidates are also seeking the Democratic nomination in this district.
Despite the introduction of early voting in the 2021 general election, turnout for early voting has been significantly lower than mail voting. However, early voting could provide an opportunity for Republicans to secure votes before Election Day, as the party's base has been resistant to mail voting.
The primary elections this year will be the third to include early in-person voting and the first to have an extended five-day early voting period for elections that include a presidential primary. Typically, primary early voting lasts only three days.