With about a month to go before New Jersey’s primary election for governor, most of the state’s registered voters are largely unaware that the election will take place on June 10, according to the latest Rutgers-Eagleton Poll.
When asked to state – to the best of their knowledge – when the next election in New Jersey will take place, 4% of participant say June 10; another 20% say it will take place some point in June, including individuals who got the right month but wrong date: 35% say November, 1% mention an upcoming special election in their area and 24% say
“other.” Another 16% are unsure of when the next election will take place.
“Any election not held during a presidential year or not in November has historically seen lower turnout due to less awareness, less interest, and less engagement,” Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) at Rutgers University-New Brunswick explained. “New Jersey’s gubernatorial primaries are the perfect storm for this – typically held in June and never during a presidential year – with turnout in past primaries in the single digits to low double digits.”
Registered voters are no more aware of the primary date than the general population; voters are only slightly less likely to say they are unsure compared to all residents. While a few partisans on either side of the aisle know the exact date, Democrats are slightly more likely than both Republicans and independents to, at least, guess the correct month.
“Since independents are able to change their registration to vote in the primaries or declare
their party at the polls in-person, they can still play an important role in the upcoming election, but they are not as tuned in as their partisan counterparts right now,” said Koning. “The reality is, if more independents were aware and declared a party, it could potentially change the game for many of the primary candidates, particularly on the Democratic side.”
Knowledge that there is an election sometime in June increases with age, according to the poll findings.
Although the primary election normally occurs on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June, because that date falls on Shavuos this year, the New Jersey Legislature passed a bill allowing the date to be pushed back a week so observant Jews can fully participate.
This is why an occasional Republican is elected governor in New Jersey.
A Month Before NJ’s Primary Election For Governor, And most Registered Voters Have No Idea Who the Current Governor Is, What A Governor Is, Or Which State They Reside In
With about a month to go before NJ’s primary election for Governor, many of the state’s registered voters are largely unaware of who their current Governor is, what a Governor is, or which state they reside in, according to a recent survey conducted by the prestigious polling organization, ‘The Association of Clueless People.’
When asked when the next election for governor will take place in the state of NJ, 20% of New Jerseyans replied: “Hmm, not sure. Can you tell us who the current Governor of NJ is? Is it Ronald Trump or Kamala Bidenfeld?”
30% replied: “Please define the word ‘Governor’ for us? Is a Governor some kind of US Ambassador or is it some kind of creature from Outer Space?” 45% of NJ residents replied: “Before we answer your question, please tell us which state we reside in? We never heard of New Jersey before. Is THAT some kind of shirt manufacturing company?”
I didn’t know it was changed from June 3rd. until a few days ago. The primary in NJ has always been the first Tuesday in June. This may be some of the reason for the confusion.