State of New Jersey
Department Of The Public Advocate
240 West State St.
P.O. Box  851  
Trenton, NJ 08625-0851
Phone: (609) 826-5090    Fax: (609) 984-4747

 NJ Public Advocate: Every Vote Counts

Public Advocate issues report showing that dozens of recent N.J. campaigns were decided by less than 1 percent margin

Four races tied; four more were decided by just one vote

TRENTON - In the last year, four local elections were tied, four more were decided by one vote, and the margin of victory in 66 races was less than 1 percent, according to a report issued by the New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate today.

These frequent razor-thin elections highlight the need for all eligible citizens to register to vote and to cast their vote -- either at the polls or by mail -- in every election, said New Jersey Public Advocate Ronald K. Chen.  Chen has made voting rights one of his department's signature issues over the last three years.

"Our study demonstrates that a few additional votes can determine who makes decisions about the quality of your children's education or the quality of local services such as trash pick-up, safe streets and ample recreational facilities," said Chen.  "Voting has a significant impact on our everyday lives as citizens of New Jersey.  It is a right that should be exercised, and not taken lightly."

Chen said New Jersey's new vote-by-mail program now offers an opportunity for easier participation by voters, in this and future elections.  Under this new law, voters now have the option to automatically have a ballot mailed to their voting address for all future general elections, or all remaining elections in a calendar year.  Previously, nondisabled voters had to ask for a ballot to be mailed to them at each election.

"Voting is the most important right we have as citizens! We understand that the demands of busy work and family schedules can make it difficult to get to a polling place on an election day.  Under the new Vote by Mail law, registered voters can opt to automatically receive mail-in ballots for elections with one application," said Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells.  "Voting by mail is easy and convenient, there really is no excuse not to vote."

"New Jersey's new vote-by-mail initiative reforms our state's absentee ballot law in important ways by making it easier for citizens to cast their ballot by mail if that is how they prefer to vote," Chen said.  He said registered voters can obtain vote-by-mail applications by calling, writing, or visiting the internet site of their county clerk, or by visiting the state Division of Elections website, www.njelections.org.

Read  "'Every Vote Counts':  A survey of elections where just a few votes separate victory and defeat"

View Close Elections Data

The report issued by the Public Advocate surveyed election data from around the State and identified 8 New Jersey elections in the last year where just one vote could have changed the result, meaning that it would have resulted in a different winner or different public question outcome.

The report also identified 66 New Jersey elections in the last year where the margin of victory was less than one percent, meaning that just a few additional votes for one candidate or one side of a public question would have changed the result.

"This study confirms the popular view that ‘every vote counts,'" Chen said. "The choice by one or just a few voters to abstain from voting can change and has changed election outcomes."

He urged every eligible voter in New Jersey to register by the October 13, 2009, deadline for the November election, when voters will choose a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, all members of the Assembly, and dozens of county and local offices. Eligible voters should then take the time to actually cast a ballot, either at the polls or by mail, and understand their rights and responsibilities under the voting laws, the report states.

The report notes that "voter turnout rates continue to remain a vexing problem for election advocates."  In the 2008 presidential election, only about 66.9 percent of the voting-eligible population in New Jersey cast ballots, although that figure exceeded national averages.  "While New Jersey fared better than the nation as a whole, the data still show that 1 in 3 eligible people in New Jersey failed to cast a ballot even in that important presidential election," the report states.

Voters can obtain voter registration forms online or from a variety of government offices that are required to offer them, including county and municipal clerks, motor vehicle agencies, libraries, employment offices, and social service offices.

The report also reiterates the need for voters to be aware of some particular voter registration rules.  For example:

• A citizen who will be 18 years old by the next Election Day can register to vote even if he or she is not 18 when completing the voter registration application;
•  college students can choose to register to vote at either their college address or their home address, such as their parents' residence.

Voters also should know their rights when casting a ballot, and the report outlines those key rights.  For example:

• If the voting machine is not working at a polling place, voters have the right to vote by an emergency paper ballot;
• In some cases voters can be asked for identification, but if they did not bring any with them they can vote by provisional ballot and bring their ID to the county board of elections within two days;
• Voters who believe they are properly registered but who are denied the right to vote on Election Day - or believe they have been wrongfully required to vote on a provisional ballot --- have the right to go before a judge to seek an order to vote on the voting machine; and
• Voters who need help with voting have the right to get assistance in completing the ballot.

For more information about the Department of the Public Advocate's voting rights project visit www.njpublicadvocate.gov. For additional information about voting in New Jersey visit the Division of Elections website at http://www.njelections.org/.

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