Act Now If You Plan to Run for State Office, Officials Say

The New Jersey Division of Elections is anyone thinking of seeking their party's nomination for governor, state Senate or General Assembly to schedule an appointment to submit their nominating petition. 

Completed petitions must be submitted in-person to the Division of Elections at 225 West State Street in Trenton no later than 4 p.m., April 1, in order to appear on the June 4 primary election ballot.  Faxed or e-mailed petitions will not be accepted.  Blank petitions are available online at Elections.NJ.gov.

Candidates are strongly urged to schedule an appointment to reduce their waiting time, which may last for several hours without an appointment.

"This year there's a gubernatorial election and every seat in the state Legislature is up for election, so we expect a large number of candidates to submit petitions," said Robert Giles, director of the Division of Elections. "Having an appointment may mean the difference between spending about one hour in our office or three, four or more hours.  It only makes sense to schedule an appointment to ensure you get the attention you need without hours of unnecessary waiting."

Scheduling an appointment can be done quickly and easily by visitinghttp://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/candidate-petitions-filing.html.

Appointments are available Monday through Friday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily until March 31, 2013. The petition filer will be contacted by the Division of Elections to confirm the selected time or schedule an alternative time.

Information on all statewide election matters in New Jersey can be found at Elections.NJ.gov or by calling 877-NJVOTER.