| Elections in New Jersey |
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A general election was held in the U.S. state of New Jersey on November 7, 2017. Primary elections were held on June 6. All elected offices at the state level were on the ballot in this election cycle, including Governor and Lieutenant Governor for four-year terms, all 80 seats in the New Jersey General Assembly for two-year terms, and all 40 seats in the State Senate for four-year terms. In addition to the gubernatorial and State Legislative elections, numerous county offices and Freeholders in addition to municipal offices were up for election. There were two statewide ballot questions and some counties and municipalities also had a local ballot question. Non-partisan local elections, some school board elections, and some fire district elections were also held throughout the year.
Governor
Legislature
State Senate
All 40 seats of the New Jersey Senate were up for election. Prior to the elections, Democrats held a 24–16 majority in the upper house. Democrats picked up an open seat in District 7 and defeated a Republican incumbent in District 11, while Republicans defeated an appointed Democratic incumbent in District 2. Overall, this resulted in Democrats having a net gain of one seat, increasing their majority to 25–15.
Overall results
| 25 | 15 |
| Democratic | Republican |
| Parties | Candidates | Seats | Popular Vote | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2017 | +/- | Strength | Vote | % | Change | |||
| Democratic | 40 | 24 | 25 |  1
|
63% | 1,177,295 | 59.1% | 11.7%
| |
| Republican | 37 | 16 | 15 |  1
|
38% | 810,543 | 40.7% | 11.4%
| |
| Green | 1 | 0 | 0 | 
|
0% | 1,306 | 0.1% | N/A | |
| Libertarian | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|
0% | 574 | 0.03% | 0.02%
| |
| Independent | 4 | 0 | 0 |
|
0% | 2,545 | 0.1% | 0.4%
| |
| Total | 83 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 100.0% | 1,992,263 | 100.0% | - | |
General Assembly
All 80 seats of the New Jersey General Assembly were up for election. Prior to the elections, Democrats held a 52–28 majority in the lower house. Overall, the Democrats increased their majority by 2 to a supermajority at 54–26, thanks to holding all their seats as well as picking up open seats in District 2 and District 16.
Overall results
| 54 | 26 |
| Democratic | Republican |
| Parties | Candidates | Seats | Popular Vote | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2017 | +/- | Strength | Vote | % | Change | |||
| Democratic | 80 | 52 | 54 | 2
|
68% | 2,266,879 | 58.1% | 4.8%
| |
| Republican | 78 | 28 | 26 | 2
|
33% | 1,613,865 | 41.4% | 4.5%
| |
| Green | 4 | 0 | 0 |
|
0% | 4,828 | 0.1% | 0.3%
| |
| Libertarian | 4 | 0 | 0 |
|
0% | 2,804 | 0.1% | 0.0%
| |
| Solidarity | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|
0% | 821 | 0.02% | N/A | |
| Independent | 14 | 0 | 0 |
|
0% | 13,537 | 0.3% | 0.0%
| |
| Total | 181 | 80 | 80 | 0 | 100.0% | 3,902,734 | 100.0% | - | |
Ballot measures
Two statewide questions were on the ballot. Both were approved by voters:
- Public Question Number 1, a bond measure that would borrow $125 million to fund capital projects for public libraries.[2][3]
- Public Question Number 2, a constitutional amendment that would require money collected from environmental contamination lawsuits to be used for cleanup and restoration efforts.[4][5]
Polling
- Question 1
| Poll source | Date(s)
administered |
Sample
size |
Margin of error | Yes 
|
No 
|
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockton University | October 18–24, 2017 | 525 LV | ± 4.3% | 56% | 39% | 5% |
| Stockton University | October 4–12, 2017 | 585 LV | ± 4.1% | 48% | 45% | 6% |
- Question 2
| Poll source | Date(s)
administered |
Sample
size |
Margin of error | Yes
|
No
|
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockton University | October 18–24, 2017 | 525 LV | ± 4.3% | 87% | 9% | 4% |
| Stockton University | October 4–12, 2017 | 585 LV | ± 4.1% | 79% | 13% | 8% |
Results
- Question 1[6]
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes
|
970,334 | 60.03 |
| No
|
646,110 | 39.97 |
| Total votes | 1,616,444 | 100 |
- Question 2[7]
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes
|
1,093,448 | 69.02 |
| No
|
490,763 | 30.98 |
| Total votes | 1,584,211 | 100 |
References
- ^ "Total Number of Registered Voters, Ballots Cast, Ballots Rejected, Percentage of Ballots Cast and the Total Number of Election Districts in New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 29, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- ^ Reitmeyer, John (July 25, 2017). "ONE FOR THE BOOKS: $125M LIBRARY BOND ISSUE ON NOVEMBER BALLOT". NJ Spotlight. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- ^ "PUBLIC QUESTION NO. 1" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ Gregory, Phil (December 20, 2016). "N.J. voters to decide on disbursing environmental damage funds". newsworks. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
- ^ "PUBLIC QUESTION NO. 2" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ "Official List, Public Question Results For 11/07/2017--GENERAL ELECTION" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 29, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ "Official List, Public Question Results For 11/07/2017--GENERAL ELECTION" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 29, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
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