New Jersey is one of two states that will elect a governor this November (Virginia is the other). Because New Jersey’s statewide elections (for Governor, State Senate, and General Assembly) occur in odd years, Every Voice, Every Vote campaigns have been a perennial part of RAC‑NJ since its inception.
The June 10, 2025 New Jersey Primary Election marks a remarkable victory – not for any particular candidate, but for participatory democracy itself, with a whopping increase in voter turnout over prior 21st‑century New Jersey gubernatorial races ranging from a 62% increase over 2017 turnout to a 165% increase over 2013 turnout.
Like the RAC in general and all of our state projects, RAC‑NJ is fiercely committed to nonpartisan efforts to drive voter turnout: we believe, in accordance with our Jewish teachings, that a leader cannot be appointed unless the people are first consulted. In New Jersey, however, primary elections throughout my adult life have sadly been the opposite of participatory democracy, as unique New Jersey ballot design considerations coupled with pre‑primary county party endorsements of specific candidates led to a world in which county party bosses picked candidates for primary elections that were rarely contested.
The 2025 election, however, represents a sea‑change for our state, as it is the first primary in which New Jersey implemented legislation – enacted because New Jersey’s prior system was adjudicated unconstitutional in federal court – making our primary ballots look like those of the other 49 states.
As a result of these changes, RAC‑NJ leaders decided to join a nonpartisan 2025 coalition – the New Jersey Million Voter Project – to reach 1,000,000 high‑opportunity New Jersey voters throughout the New Jersey 2025 election cycle. And in fact, simplified ballots and the end of the county line led to far more primary competition (in both parties) than we have seen in past gubernatorial primaries. That change, coupled with competitive top‑of‑the‑ticket primaries for both parties and nonpartisan voter‑engagement efforts such as the New Jersey Million Voter Project, helped drive the massive increase in voter turnout.
Indeed, highlighting RAC‑NJ’s nonpartisan nature, members of RAC‑NJ congregations were candidates for governor in both parties’ gubernatorial primaries: Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who was a Democratic candidate for governor, is a member of one of our congregations, and State Senator Jon Bramnick, who was a Republican candidate for governor, is a member of another of our congregations.
RAC‑NJ is grateful to all of our volunteers who have worked on our nonpartisan turnout efforts, especially those who hosted canvass kickoffs or have joined our door‑knocking efforts with the New Jersey Million Voter Project. Door knocking is a new muscle for RAC‑NJ, and we are at the beginning of building our strength in this area. We learned a lot from our first attempt at helping to build a door‑knocking culture in New Jersey, and we look forward to continuing to support nonpartisan Every Voice, Every Vote efforts and the New Jersey Million Voter Project over the summer and fall ahead of this November’s General Election. To learn more or get involved with our efforts, please fill out this interest form.
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