In an ideal world we would close this loophole that disenfranchises independent voters. However, until our elected officials step up and take the necessary steps to codify voting laws (see below for my thoughts on how we go about doing that), we are left with the following work around.

Step 1: Investigate Primary Candidates: it is important to take the time to research primary candidates on both sides of the aisle. Check out Ballotpedia for a quick synopsis of candidates, or check out my other pages on this website.

Step 2: Affiliate with Candidate’s Party: pick the primary candidate who best aligns with your values, and then affiiate with that candidate’s party (don’t worry, you can change your status back to ‘unaffiliated’ after the primary).

Form: Political Party Affiliation Declaration Form: fill out this form from the New Jersey Election Portal and mail it back to the New Jersey Division of Elections: PO Box 304, Trenton, NJ 08625

Step 3: Vote! Make your voice heard and cast your vote early, in-person, or by mail – the choice is up to you!

Request a Mail-In Ballot: find your application to vote-by-mail here.

In-person Early Voting: find your early voting poll location here.

Election Day Voting: find your election day polling location here.

Step 4: Disaffiliate from Candidate’s Party: After the primary election, you can fill out the same form as before to change your voter status back to ‘unaffiliated’.

Form: Political Party Affiliation Declaration Form: fill out this form from the New Jersey Election Portal and mail it back to New Jersey Division of Elections: PO Box 304, Trenton, NJ 08625.

PROPOSED DEMOCRACY REFORMS AND HOW TO GET INVOLVED

There are two different routes that our elected officials can take to remedy the disenfranchisement of independent voters here in New Jersey; Ranked-Choice Voting or Open Primaries.

Ranked-Choice Voting: an electoral system that allows people to vote for multiple candidates, in order of preference. Instead of just choosing who you want to win, you fill out the ballot saying who is your first choice, second choice, or third choice (or more as needed) for each position. An automatic instant runoff occurs and the candidate with 50% or more of the votes wins.

How to Learn More: here are a few resources to learn more about ranked-choice voting.

Article: Ranked-Choice Voting and How It Works

Video 1: How ranked-choice voting works

Video 2: Ranked-Choice Voting, Explained in 60 Seconds

Video 3: Ranked-Choice Voting!?! Here’s how it Works

Ranked-Choice Voting Bills: several bills have been introduced to the New Jersey Legislature but have yet to pass. Check out these crucial bills and what they could mean for our state.

Bill A5039 – Allows ranked-choice voting options for municipal and school board elections under certain circumstances.

Bill A5410 – Establishes ranked-choice voting procedure for presidential primaries and general elections for electors for United States President and Vice-President.

Bill S1712 – Establishes ranked-choice voting procedure for elections for Governor, State Senate, State General Assembly, United States Senate and House of Representatives, and presidential primaries and general elections for electors for United States President and Vice-President.

Bill S3369 – Allows ranked-choice voting options for municipal and school board elections under certain circumstances.

Bill S3784 – Establishes ranked-choice voting procedure for presidential primaries and general elections for electors for United States President and Vice-President.

What Can You Do? The best way to get involved in the on-going discussion is to contact your State Representative directly and let them know that you support ranked-choice voting.

Find Your State Representative: use the New Jersey Representative look-up to find out who your current Representative is.

Reach out: let your Representative know that you support ranked-choice voting. You can use these sample letters as your starting place!

Open Primaries: an open primary is one in which voters can take part in either the Democratic or Republican nominating contests regardless of their party affiliation, as long as they are registered to vote. Voters registered with third-parties and independents are also allowed to take part in open primaries. 

Open Primary Bills: while there are no current open primary bills working their way through the New Jersey Legislature, there are several other states that are currently debating the open primary system of voting; namely Pennsylvania and Delaware. 

SB400 – would allow for open primaries in Pennsylvania

HB43 – would allow for open primaries in Delaware

What Can You Do? The best way to get involved in the on-going discussion is to contact your State Representative directly and let them know that you support open primaries.

Find Your State Representative: use the New Jersey Representative look-up to find out who your current Representative is.

Reach out: let your Representative know that you support open primaries. You can use these sample letters as your starting place!