Pursuant to N.J.S.A. Public Law, 2005, C. 153, as of January 1, 2006, the category of “Independent” voter has been eliminated.  Any voter who chooses not to affiliate with a political party or group is now classified as an “Unaffiliated” voter.  Therefore, your voting record will be changed from “Independent” to “Unaffiliated”.

As an “Unaffiliated” voter, you will be eligible to declare a political party affiliation at the polls to vote in either the Republican or Democratic June Primary Election.  (As an “Independent” voter, you did not have this option.)  Once you vote in a primary election, you will be considered a member of that political party.  You can thereafter switch your party affiliation to another political party by filing a political party declaration form with the Municipal Clerk’s Office or the County Board of Elections.  You must file such form NO LATER THAN 50 days before a primary election to vote in the other political party.

The new law also provides for a voter who is affiliated with a political party to go back to being an unaffiliated voter.  This is done by checking off the “unaffiliated” option on the political party declaration form and filing it with the Municipal clerk or the County Board of Elections.

Any voter affiliated with a political party and wants to switch to “unaffiliated” status, must file the political party declaration form no later than 50 days before a primary election to be able to vote in either political party’s primary election.  For the June 6, 2006 Primary Election, the filing deadline is April 17, 2006.

You may obtain party declaration forms from the Municipal Clerk’s Office, the County Board of Elections Office, or online (http://www.state.nj.us/ps/elections/electionshome.html), or under the Clerk’s page on the Cranbury Township web site.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Clerk’s Office at: 609-395-0900, ext. 234.

.

---

Text Menu | Home