Laws governing ballot measures in New Jersey
From Ballotpedia
This page provides an overview of resources addressing the laws and procedures that govern statewide and local ballot measures in New Jersey, including constitutional amendments and campaign finance regulations.
Explore the links below for more information:
- Types of ballot measures in New Jersey
- Amending the Kansas Constitution
- Laws governing local ballot measures in New Jersey
- Laws governing recall in New Jersey
- Campaign finance requirements for New Jersey ballot measures
- Changes to laws governing ballot measures in New Jersey
Laws governing ballot measures in New Jersey
Types of ballot measures in New Jersey
- In New Jersey, citizens do not have the power to initiate ballot measures at the state level.
- In New Jersey, the legislature can refer constitutional amendments, state statutes, and bond issues to the ballot.
- In New Jersey, a total of 46 ballot measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1995 and 2024.
Amending the New Jersey Constitution
- New Jersey became a state in 1787. The current state constitution was ratified in 1947.
- The New Jersey Constitution provides two legislative methods for referring a constitutional amendment to the ballot. First, the legislature can refer an amendment to the ballot through a 60% vote of both chambers during one legislative session. That amounts to a minimum of 48 votes in the New Jersey General Assembly and 24 votes in the New Jersey State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Second, the legislature can refer an amendment through a simple majority vote (50%+1) in each legislative chamber during two successive legislative sessions. That amounts to a minimum of 41 votes in the New Jersey General Assembly and 21 votes in the New Jersey State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Laws governing local ballot measures in New Jersey
- Article IV, Sections VII, Paragraph 10 grants municipal governing bodies the power to petition the legislature for special act charters. The charter may be constructed to include initiative and referendum. Other than this section regarding special act charters, the New Jersey Constitution makes no references to local initiative and referendum.
- 165 New Jersey municipalities and 6 counties have an initiative and referendum process for local ballot measures.
Laws governing recall in New Jersey
- The citizens of New Jersey are granted the authority to perform a recall election by Section 2(b) of Article I of the New Jersey Constitution, which was enacted in 1993. The recall amendment applies to all elective officers after the first year of the term for which the incumbent was elected.
- Local officials in New Jersey are subject to recall under Article I, Section 2(b) of the New Jersey Constitution.
Campaign finance requirements for New Jersey ballot measures
- PACs that support or oppose ballot measures in New Jersey must register with the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) and report campaign finance.
Changes to laws governing ballot measures in New Jersey
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
The New Jersey State Legislature did not pass legislation concerning ballot measures in 2025.
See also
Footnotes
