Election Day · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How to vote in New Jersey
The deadlines, early voting, mail ballots and ID rules for New Jersey, and what happens after the polls close. Every fact links to the New Jersey Division of Elections or the law it comes from. Rules change, and courts sometimes change them close to an election, so confirm anything you are relying on with the state.
Checked against official sources on October 7.
Key dates
- Register online by
Tuesday, October 13
21 days before the election.
- Register by mail by
Tuesday, October 13
21 days before the election.
- Register in person by
Tuesday, October 13
County commissioners of registration offices offer required evening registration hours on October 13.
- Same-day registration
No
No Election Day registration; the deadline is 21 days before.
- Early voting
Saturday, October 24 to Sunday, November 1
- How early voting works
In-person early voting on machines at county-designated sites, October 24 through November 1: Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. No appointment needed. Early voting sites are not your Election Day polling place. Voters already set to vote by mail must opt out with the county clerk to vote on a machine.
- Request a mail ballot by
Tuesday, October 27
By mail: received 7 days before the election. In person at the county clerk's office: by 3 p.m. on November 2.
- Return your mail ballot by
Tuesday, November 3
By mail: postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day and received by the county board of elections by November 9 (6 days after). In person at the board of elections or in a secure drop box: by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Mail ballots cannot be returned at a polling place. Ballots without a postmark count if delivered by USPS by November 5.
- Election Day polling hours
6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting by mail
- Who can vote by mail
Any voter can vote by mail
Any active registered voter may apply. Counties began mailing ballots September 19.
- Drop boxes
Yes
Secure drop boxes, open until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
- Ballots arriving after Election Day
Yes
Postmarked by Election Day and received by November 9.
ID at the polls
- The rule
No ID needed for most voters
Believed to be 'none' — New Jersey does not ask most voters for ID, though some first-time voters who registered without ID must show it.
When will we know results in New Jersey?
How fast results come in depends mostly on when the polls close and when election officials are allowed to start on mail ballots. Totals shown on election night are unofficial until the state certifies them.
- Last polls close
8 p.m. Eastern time
- Mail ballots can be processed from
Thursday, October 29
Computed: county boards may open inner envelopes, take out ballots and scan them starting no earlier than 5 days before the election (N.J.S.A. 19:63-22b).
- Mail ballots can be counted from
Thursday, October 29
Ballots may be scanned during the 5 days before Election Day, but disclosing the contents before polls close at 8 p.m. is a third-degree crime (N.J.S.A. 19:34-13).
- State certifies results
Thursday, December 3
Deadline for the Board of State Canvassers to meet and certify the general election results.
What’s on your ballot
Every contest you will vote on, from Congress to school board, with each candidate’s positions and record and the arguments for and against them.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at New Jersey Division of Elections.