By Sunayana Prabhu
NEW JERSEY – Candidates preparing for the 2025 primary election might have to work a little harder to qualify for the ballot. Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill Feb. 3 that increases the number of signatures candidates need to run for certain state, county and local offices.
The new law includes some provisions for municipalities with smaller populations.
For example, the law affects Middletown Township and Shrewsbury differently due to their population sizes. While Middletown is the most populous municipality in Monmouth County, Shrewsbury is one of the smallest. Candidates for municipal seats in Middletown will need to gather 100 signatures before getting on the ballot, up from the previous requirement of 50, while Shrewsbury’s requirement, according to the new law, is merely 10 signatures, based on the borough’s population of around 4,000.
The Monmouth County Clerk of Elections Office confirmed that for municipal seats, the state law revised its signature requirements based on population size: In municipalities with over 50,000 residents, candidates need 100 signatures; in towns with populations between 25,000 and 49,999, that number drops to 75. Candidates must garner 50 signatures in municipalities with 10,000 to 24,999 residents, while smaller towns with populations between 5,000 and 9,999 must collect 25 signatures or 5% of the party’s voter turnout in the last election, whichever is lower. In smaller towns – those with a population of 2,500 to 4,999 – the requirement is 10 signatures or 5% of the party’s previous turnout, whichever is less; and for the smallest towns with fewer than 2,500 residents, the threshold is only five signatures or 5% of the party’s last election turnout, whichever figure is lower.
Officials say the changes are intended to ensure candidates have a meaningful base of support, but some warn the higher thresholds could make it harder for lesser-known or independent candidates to get on the ballot.
“If part of the law is increasing the number of signatures that you need, naturally, it makes it a little harder for candidates to get on the ballot. If you’re in one of these jurisdictions that additional signatures are required there’s different rules for state, for the county, for every single town, for school board,” Monmouth County Clerk, Christine Giordano Hanlon said.
According to the legislation, the minimum number of signatures required for county seats, including county commissioners, sheriffs, surrogates and county clerks, has increased from 100 to 300. However, there is a new provision that allows the signature requirement to be 1% of the party’s voter turnout in the most recent primary election, whichever is lower.
The 1% party turnout provision allows the signature threshold to be adjusted based on primary election data, rather than requiring a fixed 300 signatures. For example, if the Republican party had 16,800 voters in the last primary, 1% of that would be 168 signatures, lower than the 300-signature requirement. Similarly, if the Democratic party had 17,900 voters in the last primary, 1% would be 179 signatures, which would be the new requirement for Democratic candidates instead of 300.
Candidates for county office should file petitions with the Monmouth County Clerk of Elections Office, located at 300 Halls Mill Road in Freehold.
Municipal-level petitions should be filed with the municipal clerk of the candidate’s respective town. Contact information for municipal clerks is available on monmouthcountyvotes.com.
Candidates running for state office or seeking party nominations for governor must submit 2,500 signatures from registered New Jersey voters, a change from the previous requirement of 1,000 signatures. Candidates running for the General Assembly must submit at least 250 signatures from voters within their legislative district, up from 100.
Additionally, Independent candidates seeking office in the 2025 New Jersey General Election scheduled for Nov. 4, 2025, will also be affected by the new law. Independent candidates for governor must submit at least 2,000 signatures from qualified voters in the state, and those seeking the General Assembly must submit 250 signatures from voters in their district.
With the March 24 deadline to file petitions fast approaching, Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon has notified candidates in a recent news release about the new requirements to ensure that petitions meet the updated criteria.
“Candidates should reach out directly to the correct filing authority as soon as possible to double-check signature requirements while there’s still plenty of time to gather signatures,” Hanlon said in the statement Feb. 10.
Candidates seeking state office must file petitions with the New Jersey Secretary of State. More details can be found at nj.gov/state/elections/candidate-information.
The primary election process began in January. For those who filed petitions using the previous forms issued before January 2025, the new law allows candidates to submit those forms as long as they are supported by the correct number of signatures. The use of old forms is not grounds for a legal challenge to a petition.
In a Dec. 31, 2024, law signed by Murphy, the date of the 2025 primary election was rescheduled from June 3, 2025, to June 10, 2025, so as not to conflict with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.
The article originally appeared in the February 27 – March 5, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
