48,000 new voters registered in New Jersey just in time for the primary

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

More than 48,000 new voters registered in time to vote in next month's presidential primary and, in true Garden State fashion, the overwhelming majority did not align with any party.

In a state where "unaffiliated" voters outnumber Democrats and Republicans combined, roughly eight in 10 new voters opted not to join a party -- at least not yet. They can still do that on Feb. 5 by going to the polls and choosing the party in whose primary they wish to vote.

...

The overwhelming increase was in the ranks of the unaffiliated, which swelled by 42,058. In contrast, the electorate gained only 6,140 registered Democrats and 295 Republicans in the same period.

...

Statewide, 58 percent of registered voters are unaffiliated, while 24 percent are Democrats and 18 percent are Republicans.

"I'm not surprised," said Ingrid Reed, director of the New Jersey Project at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics. "I think by and large people think of not affiliating as protecting their privacy and keeping their options open."

Brigid Harrison, professor of political science at Montclair State University, said New Jersey's voter registration form may be one reason so few new voters affiliated with a party. The form instructs them that doing so is "optional."

"People often opt out of the optional," Harrison said. "People may say: 'I don't have to do this, so I'm not going to.'"

...

Harrison predicted "the bulk" of the 42,000 unaffiliated new voters will participate in the Democratic primary because it is "more hotly contested" and because "the Democratic candidates are motivating younger, first-time voters."

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Harrison called this year's influx of new voters "significant." Reed agreed, adding, "I think this tells you that people are paying attention. They really care about this."

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/b....xml&coll=1

[Amby 490]

I will actually vote this time but not in NJ

[sparkofcreation 0]

Yeah, I miss that about NJ, and I'm mad they moved the primary up right after I left! (For those who don't know, New Jersey's primary used to be the 2nd Tuesday in June.)

Here you have to be affiliated with a party 8 weeks in advance of the primary, so I'm not voting in ours (which is also Super Tuesday). And if you check "Independent" on your voter registration form, your card comes back saying your party affiliation is "DECLINED TO STATE" which really pisses me off, because no I'm bloody well *not* declining to state, I'm standing up and *saying* that I don't like either party enough to affiliate with them.

At least it gets me out of the annoying phone calls. My job prohibits me from giving money to political campaigns anyway, so it would just be a lot of harassment for no reason.

[Alex+R 0]

I forgot to register. There aren't any absentee ballots for primaries, are there?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I will actually vote this time but not in NJ

Whoah, Amber. Are you stateside?

[Alex+R 0]

I will actually vote this time but not in NJ

Whoah, Amber. Are you stateside?

?? She's an American who lives in Indiana?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I will actually vote this time but not in NJ

Whoah, Amber. Are you stateside?

?? She's an American who lives in Indiana?

Oh my...maybe senility is setting in. I thought she posted that she has her own bakery in England. If I'm off, I'm sorry.

[Alex+R 0]

I will actually vote this time but not in NJ

Whoah, Amber. Are you stateside?

?? She's an American who lives in Indiana?

Oh my...maybe senility is setting in. I thought she posted that she has her own bakery in England. If I'm off, I'm sorry.

Own restaurant in Indiana.

[sereia 0]

is there a way to check if you are registered or not? i registered in california years ago but have moved back and forth plenty since then.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I will actually vote this time but not in NJ

When is the primary in Indiana?

is there a way to check if you are registered or not? i registered in california years ago but have moved back and forth plenty since then.

Call your county board of elections.

[Amby 490]

I think the Indiana primary is in May. A long way off.

btw Steven I used to lived in England but I own a bakery here in Indiana which is where I'm from. We've lived here for a year now. I hate ever second of it. I actually pray that people don't come in so I have an excuse to close.