NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — It was a record-setting early voting period in New Jersey, with nearly 2 million votes already cast.
Prior to 2024, it was uncommon to wait in lines at early in-person voting centers. More than 1.1 million people showed up this year. Micah Rasmussen from Rider University’s Rebovich Institute says people seem to like the option of early voting.
“Neither side has a decisive advantage, so it’s something that both parties are using at this point, finding a way to vote early,” Rasmussen said.
Of the 1.1 million or so votes, Democrats are ahead in turnout by about 20,000. Rasmussen says this doesn’t account for unaffiliated voters, which he says have sided with Democrats lately.
“The independent, unaffiliated vote is not helping Republicans to make up any of that strong Democratic advantage that exists in New Jersey,” he said.
With early voting and mail-ins added together, about 2 million people have voted so far — about ⅓ of all registered voters.