New Jersey voters have already cast 952,656 ballots before Election Day — and they have one last chance to vote early today, Sunday, November 1, when the state's early-voting centres open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in every county. The tally, compiled by the New Jersey Globe from Division of Elections figures and reported on October 31, combines early in-person votes and vote-by-mail ballots returned so far for the November 3 midterm elections, in which New Jersey will choose a U.S. senator, all 12 of its members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and county and municipal officeholders across the state.
Source: New Jersey Globe early-voting analysis, reported Oct. 31
The advance vote is heavily Democratic by registration. Of the 952,656 ballots recorded, 560,273 — 58.8 percent — came from registered Democrats, 220,467 (23.1 percent) from registered Republicans, and 171,916 (18.0 percent) from unaffiliated and third-party voters. That is roughly 340,000 more Democratic ballots than Republican ones with two days of voting still to come when the figures were compiled.
Source: New Jersey Globe, via NJ Radar Online, Oct. 31
A big registration gap — and what it does not mean
Election officials and the Globe itself stress the limit of these numbers: party registration is not a vote. The figures say who has shown up, not whom they chose, and ballots are not counted by candidate before Election Day. The daily pattern also moved during the nine-day early period: on the opening day, Saturday, October 24, Democrats held a 32.1-percentage-point advantage among in-person early voters; by Thursday, October 29, that daily advantage had narrowed to 16.7 points as more Republican and unaffiliated voters came out. How the remaining early voters today and the much larger Election Day turnout on Tuesday break will decide whether the Democratic head start holds.
Today is the final early day — the rules that matter
New Jersey's nine-day in-person early-voting period runs from Saturday, October 24 through today, Sunday, November 1. Centres were open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today. A registered voter may vote at any designated early-voting location in the county where they are registered — not only at their usual polling place — and no appointment is needed, according to the New Jersey Division of Elections. There is no in-person early voting on Monday, November 2. On Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, polling places across New Jersey are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Source: New Jersey Division of Elections guidance, via ACLU-NJ
Mail ballots follow separate rules, and they trip up voters every cycle: a vote-by-mail ballot cannot be returned at a polling place. It must be mailed back postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day, placed in one of the county's secure ballot drop boxes by 8 p.m. on Election Day, or delivered in person to the county Board of Elections office by 8 p.m. on Election Day; mailed ballots that arrive within six days after polls close and carry the Election Day postmark are still counted. Voters who still want a mail ballot can apply in person at their county clerk's office until 3 p.m. on Monday, November 2.
Source: New Jersey Division of Elections mail-ballot rules
What New Jersey is deciding on Tuesday
At the top of the ticket, Democratic U.S. Senator Cory Booker is seeking a third full term against Republican Justin Murphy, a former deputy mayor of Tabernacle, in a contest the New Jersey Globe's voter's guide describes as unfolding in the shadow of President Donald Trump's second term, a year after New Jersey elected Mikie Sherrill governor. All 12 House seats are on the ballot. The races rated closest are in the 7th District, where Republican Representative Tom Kean Jr. faces Rebecca Bennett, a Navy helicopter pilot, in a district Trump carried by one point and Sherrill carried by two; and in the 2nd District, where Representative Jeff Van Drew faces Cape May Mayor Zach Mullock. In the 11th District, Representative Analilia Mejia, who won February's special election to succeed Sherrill, is running for a full term. County governments are also at stake, including in Cumberland and Gloucester counties.
Source: The New Jersey Globe 2026 Voter's Guide
For the state's large immigrant communities — including the Punjabi and wider South Asian communities centred in Middlesex County around Edison and in Jersey City — the practical stakes of this weekend are simple: today is the last day to vote at any early centre in your county, with shorter lines than Tuesday is expected to bring, and the last day the early option exists at all. Voters who miss today still have their assigned polling place on Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., or a drop box for a mail ballot until 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Early centres today (Sun, Nov 1): 10 a.m.–6 p.m., any early-voting site in your own county. No early voting Monday. Election Day (Tue, Nov 3): 6 a.m.–8 p.m. at your assigned polling place. Mail ballots: drop box or county Board of Elections by 8 p.m. Tuesday — never at a polling place.
What happens next
Early voting ends at 6 p.m. today. County officials will continue receiving mail ballots through Election Day, and mailed ballots postmarked by Tuesday and received within six days will be added to the count. Polls open statewide at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3, and close at 8 p.m.; the first results, built largely from the early and mail ballots already in hand, are expected on Tuesday night, with close House races — above all the 7th District — likely to be decided by how the Election Day vote splits against the 952,656 ballots already cast.