New Jersey postponed its primary election because of the Jewish holiday of Shavout
Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill to change the date after calls from community leaders and elected officials.
New Jersey’s primary elections have been rescheduled for June 10 to accommodate the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.
The state’s primary was initially scheduled for June 3 — the first Tuesday following the first Monday in June, per the state’s election law. But Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leaders agreed with religious leaders, activists, and candidates who argued that the date should be changed to accommodate the religious holiday.
The bipartisan bill unanimously passed the Senate and Assembly on Dec. 19, and Murphy signed the bill into law on Dec. 31.
Rabbi Yehuda Spritzer, of Chabad House of Monroe, said the state leaders’ decision was “very heartwarming, especially at this time when so much antisemitism is going around.”
“I’m very happy to hear that the state of New Jersey is realizing the importance of letting Jewish people keep their tradition,” he said.
He said that observant Jews will now “be able to vote and have their voice heard with everybody else.”
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Shavuot, a holiday that celebrates the Ten Commandments, begins at sundown on Sunday, June 1, and ends the night of June 3. Some who celebrate the holiday study Jewish law all night on the first night as part of their observance. Voting is out of the question for observant Jews who don’t drive, use electronics, write, or travel on the holiday.
A group of more than 60 rabbis and nonprofit leaders, including Spritzer, called for the date to change, saying it would impact community members’ right to vote.
Following the public call, Democratic U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill, former Democratic lawmaker Steve Sweeney, and Republican State Sen. Jon Bramnick, all competitors for governor, cosigned a letter asking for the state legislature to reschedule the date.
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After Murphy signed the bill, Gottheimer said on X that he is “so proud to have helped lead the charge to ensure that all Jewish voters can fully exercise their right to vote.”
Last year, Maryland legislators similarly changed their state’s primary date to accommodate Passover and Ramadan.
In Pennsylvania, efforts to change the 2024 primary election date because of Passover were not successful when lawmakers could not agree on a date.
Any registered voter can vote by mail in Pennsylvania or New Jersey for those who can’t make it to the polls in person. But in Pennsylvania, some Jewish leaders found that mail ballot delays in Montgomery County left a small window to vote for Jews traveling for the holiday last year.
New Jersey, however, also offers early in-person voting, as opposed to Pennsylvania, which offers satellite election offices in some counties where people can fill out and drop off mail ballots.
But the New Jersey religious leaders advocating for the date change argued that showing up to the polls on primary day is still the most popular way to vote.
And the gubernatorial candidates argued the state should maximize voting access.
“At a time when voters have more doubts than ever about the fairness of our elections, this is unquestionably the right thing to do,” the candidates said in their letter.