SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — The registration deadline to vote in New Jersey’s November general election has arrived.
All of the state senate and assembly seats are up for grabs this year. Democrats have firm control in both chambers of the legislature, but there are a few very competitive races, according to Rowan University professor Ben Dworkin. He says culture war issues are driving the campaigns.
“Politically cutting issues like parental rights and the use of electric vehicles or gas stoves, even offshore wind, which used to be a very bipartisan issue,” explained Dworkin. “For the Democrats, not only are they trying to talk about affordability, which is always an issue in New Jersey, but they want to bring up abortion as well.”
Micah Rasmussen, with Rider University's Rebovich Institute, says some of the most closely watched races in the state will be in South Jersey legislative districts three and four. He notes the advertising in those races is getting increasingly nasty.
“I think that’s an indication that both sides smell blood, that both sides feel like they’re within striking distance,” he observed.
However, Dworkin says there’s no big national or statewide race to bring people out on Election Day. “And so we expect turnout overall statewide to be very low, probably just about 27%,” he predicted.
Both say the aforementioned culture war issues are being used to motivate each party’s bases to show up. Rasmussen, though, predicts voting by mail will play a significant role.
“There are some districts in South Jersey, like the fourth district in Gloucester County, where the Democrats have turned in 5,000 more ballots than Republicans already,” he said, adding that GOP leadership would like to see more of their base embrace mail-in ballots to close that gap.
Mail-in ballots have already gone out in most cases to those who have requested one. Early in-person voting begins Nov. 3, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.