KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to New Jersey

A2141 • 2026

Decreases from 55 days to 21 days minimum time required to change political party affiliation prior to primary.

Decreases from 55 days to 21 days minimum time required to change political party affiliation prior to primary.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Pintor Marin, Eliana
Last action
2026-01-13
Official status
Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Decreases from 55 days to 21 days minimum time required to change political party affiliation prior to primary.

Decreases from 55 days to 21 days minimum time required to change political party affiliation prior to primary.

What This Bill Does

  • Decreases from 55 days to 21 days minimum time required to change political party affiliation prior to primary.
  • Topic: State and Local Government Fiscal note: This bill has not been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-13 New Jersey Legislature

    Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee

Official Summary Text

Decreases from 55 days to 21 days minimum time required to change political party affiliation prior to primary.
Topic:
State and Local Government
Fiscal note:
This bill has not been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A2141

ASSEMBLY, No. 2141

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman ELIANA PINTOR MARIN

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

Assemblywoman AURA K. DUNN

District 25 (Morris and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Decreases from 55 days to 21 days minimum time
required to change political party affiliation prior to primary.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act

concerning changing political party affiliation
prior to a primary and amending R.S.19:23-45.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� R.S.19:23-45 is amended
to read as follows:

���� 19:23-45. No voter shall be
allowed to vote at the primary election unless his name appears in the
signature copy register.

���� A voter who votes in a primary
election of a political party or who signs and files with the municipal clerk
or the county commissioner of registration a declaration that he desires to
vote in the primary election of a political party, or who indicates on a voter
registration form the voter's choice of political party affiliation and submits
the form to the commissioner of registration of the county wherein the voter
resides, to the employees or agents of a public agency, as defined in
subsection a. of section 15 of P.L.1974, c.30 (C.19:31-6.3), or a voter
registration agency, as defined in subsection a. of section 26 of P.L.1994,
c.182 (C.19:31-6.11), or to the Secretary of State, shall be deemed to be a
member of that party until the voter signs and files with the municipal clerk
or the commissioner of registration a declaration that he desires to vote in
the primary election of another political party at which time he shall be
deemed to be a member of such other political party.� The Secretary of State shall
cause to be prepared political party affiliation declaration forms and shall
provide such forms to the commissioners of registration of the several counties
and to the clerks of the municipalities within such counties.

���� No voter, except a newly
registered voter at the first primary at which he is eligible to vote, or a
voter who has not previously voted in a primary election, may vote in a primary
election of a political party unless he was deemed to be a member of that party
on the
[
55th
]

21st

day next preceding such primary election.

���� A member of the county
committee of a political party and a public official or public employee holding
any office or public employment to which he has been elected or appointed as a
member of a political party shall be deemed a member of such political party.

���� A voter may declare the
voter's party affiliation or change the voter's party affiliation, or declare
that the voter is unaffiliated with any party regardless of any previously
declared party affiliation, by so indicating on a political party declaration
form filed with the municipal clerk or the county commissioner of
registration.� A voter may also indicate that the voter wishes to declare a
political party affiliation or that the voter does not want to declare a
political party affiliation on a voter registration form filed at the time of
initial registration.

���� Any person voting in the
primary ballot box of any political party in any primary election in
contravention of the election law shall be guilty of a disorderly persons
offense, and any person who aids or assists any such person in such violation
by means of public proclamation or order, or by means of any public or private
direction or suggestions, or by means of any help or assistance or cooperation,
shall likewise be guilty of a disorderly persons offense.

(cf: P.L.2011, c.134, s.27)

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill would decrease, from
55 days to 21 days, the minimum time required to change one�s political party
affiliation prior to a primary election.

���� This bill would make the
minimum time required to change one�s political party affiliation prior to a
primary election identical to the minimum time required to register to vote
prior to an election.