🗳️ More than 634,000 votes have already been cast in New Jersey’s governor’s race.

🔵 Democrats lead Republicans by over 200,000 early ballots statewide.

⏰ Early in-person voting continues daily through Sunday, Nov. 2, ahead of the Nov. 4 election.

Democrats Build Early Edge as N.J. Voters Cast Over 630,000 Ballots

New Jersey voters turned out in strong numbers this weekend for the opening of early in-person voting. More than 163,000 in-person ballots and 471,000 vote-by-mail ballots have already been submitted ahead of the November 4 gubernatorial election between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli, according to data analyzed by VoteHub.

Statewide turnout has reached 9.6%, rising to 10.3% when inactive voters are excluded—signaling robust early participation for an off-year election.

🔵 Democratic Ground Game Delivers Early Advantage

Among in-person early voters, Democrats cast 42% of ballots (67,665), while Republicans cast 39% (63,178), and independents and unaffiliated voters made up the remaining 19% (31,585). That gives Democrats a modest early in-person edge of 5,487 votes after the first two days.

READ MORE: Women, independents may decide NJ governor’s race

The mail-in ballot totals, however, reveal a much wider gap. Democrats have returned 296,339 vote-by-mail ballots, compared with 100,251 from Republicans—a 196,000-vote advantage that could prove decisive if the pace continues. Roughly half of all mailed ballots—about 50.5%—have been returned.

Both parties are seeing similar rates of mail ballot returns: 55.7% for Democrats and 54.5% for Republicans.

🗳️ Early Voting Runs Through Nov. 2 Across All N.J. Counties

In-person early voting continues daily through Sunday, November 2, giving voters one more week to cast their ballots before Election Day. Polling locations are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Voters are reminded that early voting locations may differ from their usual Election Day polling sites. The state provides a locator tool at nj.gov/state/elections/vote-early-voting.shtml.

⚔️ Sherrill vs. Ciattarelli: The Race Tightens as Votes Pour In

With nearly 635,000 votes already cast, both campaigns are racing to lock in supporters before Election Day. Democrats are banking on their mail-voting dominance, while Republicans hope for a strong in-person surge as the early voting period continues.

While we can know how many early votes have been submitted, the votes can't actually be tabulated or reported until polls close on Nov. 4.

The outcome may hinge on independent voters—nearly one in five early participants—who could swing the balance in what’s shaping up to be one of New Jersey’s most closely watched gubernatorial contests in years.

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