Information for Candidates

Voting and Elections

COVID-19 Notice for Filing Petitions

With the Governor’s signing of Executive Order 244 ending the Public Health Emergency, the provisions previous Executive Orders and recently enacted legislation allowing electronic collection and transmission of petitions have terminated.  To be valid, wet ink signatures on petitions must be collected in person and the physical petitions must be filed directly with the accepting office.

 

General Information

Candidate for Federal or State Office

To appear on the ballot for one of the following offices, your petition is filed with the New Jersey Secretary of State’s Division of Elections:

  • President
  • Presidential Delegates
  • Presidential Electors
  • US Senator
  • Member of US House of Representatives
  • Governor
  • NJ State Senator
  • Member of the NJ General Assembly

For more information, please contact the NJ Division of Elections.

Candidate for County Office

To appear on the ballot for one of the following offices, your petition is filed with the Camden County Clerk’s Office:

  • Sheriff
  • County Clerk
  • Surrogate
  • Member of the Board of County Commissioners
  • Member of State Committee (Partisan Primary only)

To run as a partisan candidate (Democrat or Republican) in the June Primary Election:

  • Your petition must be filed with the County Clerk’s Office, Election Division, 100 University Ct., Blackwood NJ 08012, before 4:00 p.m. on or before the 71st day prior to Primary Election.
  • Nomination Petitions are available at the County Clerk’s Office, Election Division, 100 University Ct., Blackwood NJ 08012, during normal business hours.  Instructions and number of signature required are included with the petitions.

To run as an independent candidate in the November General Election:

  • Your petition must be filed with the County Clerk’s Office, Election Division, 100 University Ct., Blackwood NJ 08012, before 4:00 p.m. on or before Primary Election Day
  • Nomination Petitions are available at the County Clerk’s Office, Election Division, 100 University Ct., Blackwood NJ 08012, during normal business hours.  Instructions and number of signature required are included with the petitions.

Candidate for Local Municipal Office

To appear on the ballot for one of the following offices*, your petition is filed with the Municipal Clerk or Camden County Clerk (see details below):

  • Mayor
  • Member of Council
  • Member of Township Committee
  • Commissioner
  • Member of County Committee (Partisan Primary only)

*Please note that depending on the form of local government, not every office exists in each municipality

To run as a non-partisan candidate in the May Municipal Election:

  • Your petition must be filed with the Municipal Clerk on or before the 71st day prior to the Election.
  • Please contact the Municipal Clerk of nomination petitions.

To run as a partisan candidate (Democrat or Republican) in the June Primary Election:

  • Your petition must be filed with the Municipal Clerk before 4:00 p.m. on or before the 64th day prior to Primary Election.
  • Please contact the Municipal Clerk of nomination petitions.

To run as an independent candidate in the November General Election:

  • Your petition must be filed with the County Clerk’s Office, Election Division, 100 University Ct., Blackwood NJ 08012, before 4:00 p.m. on or before Primary Election Day
  • Nomination Petitions are available at the County Clerk’s Office, Election Division, 100 University Ct., Blackwood NJ 08012, during normal business hours.  Instructions and number of signature required are included with the petitions.

Candidate for School Board

To run as a candidate for the Board of Education in the November General Election:

  • Your petition must be filed with the County Clerk’s Office, Election Division, 100 University Ct., Blackwood NJ 08012,  before 4:00 p.m. on or before the last Monday of July proceeding the November School Election.
  • Nomination Petitions are available at the County Clerk’s Office
  • Election Division, 100 University Ct., Blackwood NJ 08012, during normal business hours or can be downloaded below.

Nomination Petition and Instructions for November School Board Candidates
Pursuant to P.L. 2018, c.20, School Board Candidates are permitted to circulate petitions jointly and be bracketed together on the ballot.  Candidates may also choose to have a three word, nonpolitical designation appear on the ballot that conveys principles that the candidate represents.  The addition of bracketing and the use of a slogan will not change the layout of the ballot.  Candidates will continue to occupy a single column and be arranged by the results of the draw.  Any bracketed candidates will be drawn by their slogan and may be found above, below or between individual candidates based on the results of the draw– bracketed candidates will be kept together within the same contest.  All candidates, individual or bracketed, will have their own voting box/oval and will be tallied separately.

Additional candidate information is available from the New Jersey School Board Association.

 

Candidate for Board of Fire District Commissioner

The following municipalities have Boards of Fire District Commissioners, whose elections are held each February:

  • Gloucester Township
  • Haddon Township
  • Lindenwold

To appear on the ballot for the office of Fire District Commissioner in districts whose elections are held in February, your petition is filed with the Secretary of the Board of Fire District Commissioners.

The following municipalities have Boards of Fire District Commissioners that opted to move their elections to the November General Election:

  • Berlin Township
  • Cherry Hill
  • Pine Hill
  • Winslow

To run as a candidate for the Board of Fire Commissioners in the November General Election:

  • Your petition must be filed with the County Clerk’s Office, Election Division, 100 University Ct., Blackwood NJ 08012, before 4:00 p.m. on or before the last Monday of July proceeding the November General Election.
  • Nomination Petitions are available at the County Clerk’s Office, Election Division, 100 University Ct., Blackwood NJ 08012, during normal business hours or can be downloaded below.

Nomination Petition and Instructions for November Fire Board of Commissioners Candidates