New Jersey State Senate elections, 2021
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| 2021 New Jersey Senate Elections | |
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| General | November 2, 2021 |
| Primary | June 8, 2021 |
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| 2021 Elections | |
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Elections for the New Jersey State Senate took place in 2021. The primary was on June 8, 2021, and the general election was on November 2. The filing deadline for candidates was April 5, 2021.[1]
The New Jersey State Senate was one of three state legislative chambers with elections in 2021. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
State Senate President Steve Sweeney (D) lost re-election to Edward R. Durr (R), who has not previously held political office. Durr reported spending $2,300 on his campaign. Sweeney was first elected to the state senate in 2001 and had served as senate president since 2009.[2]
Candidates
General election
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate ConnectionPrimary election
Incumbents who were not re-elected
Incumbents defeated in the general election
Two incumbents lost in the Nov. 2 general election. Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Sweeney |  Democratic |
Senate District 3 |
| Dawn Addiego | Democratic |
Senate District 8 |
Incumbents defeated in primary elections
No incumbents were defeated in the June 8 primaries. As of 2021, no incumbent state Senator has lost in a primary since 2003.
Retiring incumbents
Four incumbents did not file for re-election in 2021.[3] Those incumbents were:
There were four open seats in 2021.[4]
| Open seats in New Jersey State Senate elections: 2013 - 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for reelection |
| 2021 | 40 | 4 (10%) | 36 (90%) |
| 2017 | 40 | 3 (8%) | 37 (93%) |
| 2013 | 40 | 1 (3%) | 39 (98%) |
Margin of victory
The average margin of victory across the 40 races in this chamber was 26.1%. An electoral margin of victory (MOV) is the difference between the share of votes cast for the winning candidate and the second-place candidate in an election. Only races with more than one candidate were included in this average. The chart below displays the breakdown of races by the winner's partisan affiliation and margin of victory for each state legislative chamber with single-member districts which held elections in 2021. A darker shade of red or blue indicates a larger margin for that party. The table below displays how many seats were up for election in each chamber and how many seats each party won. It also includes a breakdown of how many seats Democrats and Republicans won by 10% or less and without opposition in each chamber, as well as the average margin of victory for each party. Click on a particular header to sort the table.
| Average MOV for state legislative elections, 2021 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamber | Seats up for election |  Seats won by Democrats
|
Seats won by Democrats by margins of 10% or less
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Seats won by unopposed Democrats
|
Average margin of victory for Democrats
|
 Seats won by Republicans
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Seats won by Republicans by margins of 10% or less
|
Seats won by unopposed Republicans
|
Average margin of victory for Republicans
|
 Seats won by independent and minor party candidates
|
| New Jersey State Senate | ||||||||||
| New Jersey General Assembly[5] | ||||||||||
| Virginia House of Delegates | ||||||||||
| Total | ||||||||||
Process to become a candidate
For partisan candidates
See statutes: Title 19, Article 23 of the New Jersey Permanent Statutes
Political party candidates are nominated via primary elections. To access the primary ballot, a partisan candidate must do the following:[6]
1.) File a petition with the required number of signatures for the office being sought, including a guarantee that signers are qualified voters of New Jersey and the electoral district in which the candidate is running.[7]
- The petition must indicate that the circulator/witness is the person who collected the signatures on the petition. The circulator must complete and sign the affidavit where indicated.[8]
2.) The candidate must sign a "Certificate of Acceptance" and an "Oath of Allegiance" to accompany the petition. The oath must also be notarized.[9]
The petition may include a candidate's designation or slogan, which must not exceed six words. The designation is for the purpose of indicating either an official act or policy to which the candidate is pledged or committed, or to distinguish the candidate as belonging to a particular faction or wing of his political party. No such designation or slogan can include or refer to the name of any person or any incorporated association of New Jersey without written consent.[10]
Signature requirements for primary petitions are established by Title 19, Article 23, Section 8, of the New Jersey Permanent Statutes.
| Signature requirements | |
|---|---|
| Office | Signature requirements |
| Governor | 2,500 registered voters[11] |
| State Senator | 250 registered voters from the district[11] |
| State Representative | 250 registered voters from the district[11] |
| United States Representative | 200 registered voters from the congressional district |
| United States Senator | 1,000 voters in the state who are members of the applicable political party |
For independent candidates
See statutes: Title 19, Article 13 of the New Jersey Permanent Statutes
An independent candidate must submit the same paperwork as a partisan candidate.[12]
Signature requirements for independent candidates are established by Title 19, Article 13, Section 5, of the New Jersey Permanent Statutes and are as follows:
| Signature requirements | |
|---|---|
| Office | Signature requirements |
| Governor | 2,000 registered voters[11] |
| State Senator | 250 registered voters from the district[11] |
| State Representative | 250 registered voters from the district |
| United States Representative | 100 registered voters from the congressional district |
| United States Senator | 800 registered voters in the state |
2021 ballot access requirements
The table below details filing requirements for New Jersey State Senate candidates in the 2021 election cycle.
| Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2021 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamber name | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| New Jersey State Senate | Democratic | 100 | N/A | 4/5/2021 | Source |
| New Jersey State Senate | Republican | 100 | N/A | 4/5/2021 | Source |
| New Jersey State Senate | Unaffiliated | 100 | N/A | 6/8/2021 | Source |
Qualifications
In order to be a candidate to run for the New Jersey State Senate, a candidate must:[13]
- Be a citizen of the United States
- Be 30 years of age or older.
- Resident of the state for a minimum of four years prior to the general election.
- Resident of the legislative district for one year prior to the general election.
- Obtain 100 signatures via petition and submit the signatures to the New Jersey Secretary of State.
- Disclose any criminal convictions.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[14] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $49,000/year | No per diem is paid. |
When sworn in
New Jersey legislators assume office at noon on the second Tuesday in January following the election.[15]
New Jersey political history
Party control
| New Jersey State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2, 2021 | After November 3, 2021 | |
| Democratic Party | 25 | 24 | |
| Republican Party | 14 | 16 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | 40 | |
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
New Jersey Party Control: 1992-2025
Fourteen years of Democratic trifectas • Eight years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | S | S | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Assembly | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Presidential politics in New Jersey
2016 Presidential election results
| U.S. presidential election, New Jersey, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic |  Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine |
55.5% | 2,148,278 | 14 | |
| Republican | Donald Trump/Mike Pence | 41.4% | 1,601,933 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 1.9% | 72,477 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1% | 37,772 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley | 0.2% | 6,161 | 0 | |
| Socialist Workers | Alyson Kennedy/Osborne Hart | 0.1% | 2,156 | 0 | |
| American Delta | Rocky De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg | 0% | 1,838 | 0 | |
| Workers World | Monica Moorehead/Lamont Lilly | 0% | 1,749 | 0 | |
| Socialism and Liberation | Gloria Estela La Riva/Eugene Puryear | 0% | 1,682 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 3,874,046 | 14 | |||
| Election results via: New Jersey Department of State | |||||
Voter information
How the primary works
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. New Jersey utilizes a semi-closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is generally limited to registered party members. Unaffiliated voters can register as party members at the polls on primary election day. Otherwise, a voter must indicate his or her party preference (e.g., via an updated voter registration) no later than the 55th day preceding the primary in order to vote in that party's primary.[16]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Poll times
In New Jersey, all polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[17]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in New Jersey, each applicant must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of the county in which they are registering for at least 30 days prior to the election. Seventeen-year-olds may register to vote, although they may not vote until they have turned 18. Individuals serving a felony sentence or on probation or parole because of a felony may not register to vote.[18] The voter registration deadline is 21 days before the next election. Registration applications can be downloaded from the state website and mailed to the county commissioner of registration or superintendent of elections.[18] Registration applications are also available at various county offices and state agencies, such as the Division of Elections and Division of Motor Vehicle offices.[19]
Automatic registration
New Jersey enacted automatic voter registration in 2018.[20]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
New Jersey has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
New Jersey does not allow same-day voter registration.
Residency requirements
In order to register to vote in New Jersey, applicants must be a resident of the county in which they are registering for at least 30 days prior to the election.[21]
Verification of citizenship
New Jersey does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a false or fraudulent registration may result in a "fine of up to $15,000, imprisonment up to 5 years, or both pursuant to R.S. 19:34-1."[22]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[23] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The New Jersey Secretary of State’s Office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.
Voter ID requirements
Early voting
New Jersey permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
All voters are eligible to vote absentee/by mail in New Jersey.[24]
To vote absentee/by mail, an application must be received by election officials at least seven days prior to the election if returned by mail. An application can also be submitted in person to county election officials until 3 p.m. on the day before the election. An application can also be submitted online via the state's online voter registration system. A completed absentee/mail-in ballot must then be postmarked by 8:00 p.m. Election Day and received by the county board of elections by 6 days after the election.[24][25]
Redistricting following the 2020 census
On February 18, 2022, the New Jersey Legislative Reapportionment Commission voted to approve a new set of state legislative maps.[26] The commission voted 9-2 to approve the maps. Thomas Kean Jr. (R) and Cosmo A. Cirillo (D) were the two dissenting votes.[27] The New Jersey Monitor's Nikita Biryukov wrote that the vote was "an unprecedented compromise for a commission that has historically relied on a court-appointed tiebreaker to end partisan gridlock."[26]
See also
2021 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ NJ.gov, "2021 Primary Election Timeline," accessed January 22, 2021
- ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Spending $2,300, Edward Durr Ousts NJ Senate Leader Sweeney," November 4, 2021
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ For the purposes of this study, the margin of victory was calculated by comparing the winner with the least votes to the loser of the opposite party with the most votes. Therefore, the numbers will total up to half the seats won for each party since we can only compare MoV for one of the two seats in each district.
- ↑ New Jersey Permanent Statutes, "Title 19:23-5," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ New Jersey Permanent Statutes, "Title 19:23-8," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ New Jersey Permanent Statutes, "Title 19:23-11," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ New Jersey Permanent Statutes, "Title 19:23-15," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ New Jersey Permanent Statutes, "Title 19:23-17," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 New Jersey Department of State, "Changes in Signature Requirements for New Jersey Election Petitions Become Law," February 4, 2025
- ↑ New Jersey Secretary of State, "Candidate Information," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ Nj.gov, "PETITION FOR MEMBER OF THE NEW JERSEY STATE SENATE," accessed August 29, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Constitution, "Article IV, Section II (2.)," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "N.J. Rev. Stat. § 19:23–45," accessed October 21, 2025
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, “Election laws - NJSA - 19:15-2,” accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 New Jersey Division of Elections, “Register to Vote!” accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Division of Elections, “Where to Register in Person,” accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature, “Assembly Committee Substitute for Assembly, No. 2014,” April 13, 2018
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Voter registration FAQ," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Voter Information Portal, "New Jersey Voter Registration Application," accessed November 1, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 New Jersey Department of State, "Vote by Mail Applications," accessed April 18, 2023
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections, "Vote-By-Mail," accessed September 27, 2024
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 New Jersey Monitor, "Democrats, GOP agree on new legislative map for N.J.," February 18, 2022
- ↑ Insider NJ, "Redistricting Commission Finalizes Legislative Map by 9-2 Vote," February 18, 2022
