New Jersey governor announces July primary will be vote-by-mail

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced on Friday the state's July 7 primary would largely be conducted by vote-by-mail, saying "no one should have to choose between their health and exercising their right to vote." After New York, New Jersey has been one of the hardest hit states by the coronavirus pandemic.

"BREAKING: Our July 7th primary will be a primarily vote-by-mail election," Murphy wrote on Twitter Friday afternoon. "ALL registered Democratic and Republican voters will receive a postage-paid vote-by-mail ballot. ALL unaffiliated and inactive voters will receive a postage-paid vote-by-mail ballot application."

Murphy, a Democrat, added in a following tweet that a limited number of in-person polling places will be open on election day "to ensure that everyone can exercise their right to vote." Other states which conducted vote-by-mail primaries, like Ohio and Nebraska, have allowed people with disabilities or without a permanent home address to vote in person.

Murphy said in a third tweet that the deadline for ballots to be received had been extended to seven days after the election, instead of just 48 hours.

"We will ensure every vote is counted," Murphy wrote.

Several states have delayed their primaries, or transitioned to a vote-by-mail election, due to concern about the spread of the virus. Progressive groups have called on Congress to pass additional election assistance for states to build infrastructure for a possible vote-by-mail election in November.

However, some Republicans, including President Trump, have expressed skepticism about vote-by-mail, arguing it could lead to voter fraud and make it easier for Democrats to be elected. In fact, voter fraud is extremely rare, and vote-by-mail has not been found to help either the Republican or Democratic Party in particular.

In:
• New Jersey
• COVID-19
• Phil Murphy