All 120 seats in the New Jersey Legislature are on the 2027 ballot: 40 in the Senate and 80 in the General Assembly. Each of the 40 legislative districts elects one senator and two members of the General Assembly. To run as a Democrat or a Republican, you file a nominating petition signed by at least 250 voters of your party in your district with the Secretary of State by 4 p.m. on Monday, March 29, 2027. The primary is on Tuesday, June 8, 2027, and the general election is on Tuesday, November 2, 2027. Independent candidates, and candidates of parties that do not hold a primary, file a petition for direct nomination with 250 signatures by 4 p.m. on June 8. All of these dates are based on state law.
To serve in the Senate, you must be at least 30 years old, a citizen and resident of New Jersey for four years, and a resident of your district for one year before the election. For the General Assembly, the age is 21 and the state residency is two years, with the same one year in the district (N.J. Const. Art. IV, Sec. I, par. 2). This guide covers each step, using the New Jersey Constitution and the election laws in Title 19 of the New Jersey Statutes (N.J.S.A.) as amended in 2025.
For local races on the same ballot, see our guide to running for local office in New Jersey.
Why both houses are on the 2027 ballot
Members of the General Assembly serve two-year terms that begin at noon on the second Tuesday in January after their election (N.J. Const. Art. IV, Sec. II, par. 4), so the whole Assembly is elected in every odd-numbered year. Senators serve four-year terms, except for one two-year term in each decade that begins in the second January after a federal census (Art. IV, Sec. II, par. 2). The senators elected in 2023 serve four-year terms ending in January 2028, so all 40 seats in the Senate are elected in 2027. Senators elected in 2027 take office on Tuesday, January 11, 2028, for four years (based on the Constitution's schedule).
Confirm your legislative district first, with your county clerk or the Division of Elections, because your signers and your residency are measured by it.
Step 1: Check that you qualify
| Senate | General Assembly | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum age | 30 | 21 |
| Citizen and resident of New Jersey | 4 years | 2 years |
| Resident of the district | 1 year before the election | 1 year before the election |
| Right to vote | Required | Required |
Source: N.J. Const. Art. IV, Sec. I, par. 2.
Every Senate and Assembly candidate also files a signed statement with the petition. It says either that the candidate has not been convicted of a crime of the first, second, third or fourth degree, or an equivalent offense elsewhere, or it discloses each such conviction with its date, place and penalty. Expunged records do not have to be disclosed (N.J.S.A. 19:23-15 for primary candidates; N.J.S.A. 19:13-8 for independents).
Choose one route. A candidate who accepts a primary petition cannot also accept a direct nomination petition for the same office, and the reverse is also true (N.J.S.A. 19:13-8; 19:23-15).
Step 2: Collect 250 signatures on the primary petition
Under current law, only the Democratic and Republican parties hold primaries in New Jersey, and both follow the same rules. A primary petition for the Senate or the General Assembly must be signed by at least 250 voters of the party (N.J.S.A. 19:23-8, as amended by P.L.2025, c.20).
Who may sign. Voters of your legislative district who are members of your party and intend to affiliate with it at the primary (N.J.S.A. 19:23-7). A member of one party may not sign another party's petition, and a signer may not endorse more candidates than there are seats to fill, which is one for the Senate and two for the Assembly (N.J.S.A. 19:23-10). Ask the Division of Elections how voters who are not affiliated with any party are treated.
Who may circulate. The circulator (the person who collects the signatures) must be a registered New Jersey voter of the same party. Each circulator swears an affidavit before a notary or other officer authorized to give oaths that they personally circulated the petition, that each signature is in the signer's own handwriting, and that the signers are, to the best of their knowledge, legal voters of the district and members of the party (N.J.S.A. 19:23-11). You may sign and circulate your own petition.
What goes with it. Your certificate of acceptance states that you are qualified, are a member of the party and consent to be a candidate, with the oath of allegiance taken before an officer authorized to give oaths (N.J.S.A. 19:23-15). The petition gives your residence, post office address and a working email address (N.J.S.A. 19:23-7). Signers may also name three people as a committee on vacancies, who can name a replacement if a vacancy occurs (N.J.S.A. 19:23-12).
Use the current form. The Secretary of State must publish the primary petition forms by January 1 of each year with a primary (N.J.S.A. 19:23-7.1). The signature numbers changed in 2025, so do not use an older form.
Collect a margin above 250, because signatures from people outside your district, or from members of another party, will not count. Beacon's guide to New Jersey nominating petitions covers the form line by line and explains how to collect signatures door to door.
Step 3: The direct nomination route
How a new number gets approved
- Open your account100 free SMS included
- Buy your number$5 a month. Nothing sends until the account has one.
- Verify your campaignCampaign Verify, $95 per two-year cycle. Needs your committee's EIN and filing.
- We file the registrationToll-free verification, or 10DLC for a local number ($75 one time)
- The carriers review itAbout three business days for a toll-free number
- Send your first textStart with a small test group
Independent candidates, and candidates of any party that does not hold a primary, file a petition for direct nomination. For the Legislature, the requirement works out to 250 signatures: the law asks for 5 percent of the last full General Assembly vote in the district, but no more than 250 for any office below statewide (N.J.S.A. 19:13-5). The Division of Elections listed 250 for General Assembly general election candidates in 2025.
Signers must be qualified voters of the district who pledge to support you and have not signed another petition for the primary or the general election for that office (N.J.S.A. 19:13-4). Each voter may sign one petition for each office (N.J.S.A. 19:13-6).
The circulator does not have to be a registered voter but must be at least 18, a New Jersey resident and a U.S. citizen, and swears an affidavit that they saw every signature made (N.J.S.A. 19:13-7). The petition, your acceptance with the oath of allegiance, and your signed statement about criminal convictions are due to the Secretary of State before 4 p.m. on primary day, Tuesday, June 8, 2027 (based on state law, N.J.S.A. 19:13-9).
Step 4: File with the Division of Elections
Petitions for the Senate and the General Assembly are addressed to the Secretary of State and filed with the Division of Elections (N.J.S.A. 19:23-6; 19:13-3). In 2026, the Division accepted petitions at 225 West State Street in Trenton, offered filing appointments as well as walk-in filing, and required the filer to be in the building before 4 p.m. on deadline day. Check the Division's candidate petition filing page for the 2027 arrangements.
Primary petition dates, all based on state law:
- Monday, March 29, 2027, 4 p.m.: primary petitions due, the 71st day before the primary (N.J.S.A. 19:23-14). In 2026 the Division's deadline was March 23, also the 71st day before the primary.
- Thursday, April 1, 2027, 4 p.m.: last day to amend a defective petition, in form or substance, but not to add signatures (N.J.S.A. 19:23-20).
- Friday, April 2, 2027, 4 p.m.: last day to file a written objection to a petition (N.J.S.A. 19:23-20.1).
- Wednesday, April 7, 2027: deadline for the Secretary of State to decide objections.
Keep a full copy of everything you file, and check with the Election Law Enforcement Commission for any other filings.
Step 5: Plan a district-wide campaign
Each legislative district holds about one-fortieth of the state's population, far more than a single municipality, so a legislative campaign needs volunteers spread across the district. The primary campaign runs from the March 29 filing deadline to June 8. Voters who want to change party affiliation for the primary must file by Wednesday, April 14, voter registration closes on Tuesday, May 18, and early voting runs from Tuesday, June 1 to Sunday, June 6, 2027 (all based on state law). In the fall, voter registration closes on Tuesday, October 12, and early voting runs from Saturday, October 23 to Sunday, October 31.
Our campaign plan to the June 8, 2027 New Jersey primary turns these dates into a week-by-week schedule.
Step 6: Keep supporters informed by text
Text reminders before early voting and election day help supporters follow through. Set texting up in CampaignCNX+ before the primary campaign begins.
- Committee and Campaign Verify. Campaign Verify confirms to the carriers (the mobile phone companies) that a political sender is a real campaign. It needs a 527 committee (the federal tax status of a political committee) with an EIN (its federal tax ID number) and a filing with an election authority that is published online. Check that your filing can be viewed online before you request it, and contact Campaign Verify Support if it cannot. A request made on or after Sunday, November 15, 2026 lasts until January 31, 2029. It costs $95, and Campaign Verify decides eligibility.
- Registration. CampaignCNX+ files your carrier registration, as 10DLC (the registration for texting from a standard local-style number) or toll-free, and files your Campaign Verify token with it. For a toll-free number, the carrier review usually takes about three business days.
- Consent. Text only supporters who agreed in writing, on a sign-up sheet that plainly says so, with the date recorded. Signing your petition is not that agreement.
- Scheduling. Texts send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's time zone. Use tags and groups to send each municipality the early voting reminder that fits it.
100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month. Our post on Campaign Verify for local candidates explains verification in more depth, and our page on political texting covers the rules for every campaign.
Begin with your district and your form
Confirm your legislative district, check that you meet the age and residency rules, and get the current 2027 petition form as soon as it is published. When you are ready to keep supporters informed by text, start a CampaignCNX+ trial.
