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New Jersey’s gubernatorial election between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli is one of the most closely watched contests in the country — and voters may see faster results than in previous years. Gov. Phil Murphy, the outgoing, term-limited Democrat, signed a package of voting reform laws in 2022, including a provision allowing mail-in ballots to be counted up to five days before Election Day in the state. The change followed Murphy’s narrow 2021 re-election victory over Ciattarelli, which wasn’t called until the day after the election due to the slow pace of mail-in ballot processing. Ciattarelli led in the initial vote count that election night, but Murphy pulled ahead by morning as more ballots were tallied. When Sherrill won the Democratic primary earlier this year, the race was called quickly — a surprise to many Democrats, including members of Sherrill’s campaign. The swift result was aided by the reforms allowing earlier counting that Murphy signed into law. “If there was a single election observation more than any other, across party lines, it’s how quick the count was,” Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics, said in June. This marks the state’s first gubernatorial election under the new law. “It helped that there were clear winners, too,” Rasmussen said on X. “But this was a clear difference between now and election night in 2021. Counties can focus on the votes that come in on Election Day, because they are caught up on VBMs (vote-by-mail ballots).” The race between Sherrill and Ciattarelli is tight, according to multiple polls that have been released throughout the race — with some showing single-digit margins. Sherrill, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor, has campaigned on codifying abortion rights, fighting the Trump administration and more. Ciattarelli, a businessman and former state lawmaker, is making his third run for governor and has focused on going after the Democrats’ hold on politics in the state. A key issue of the race has been affordability — a theme both candidates have leaned into. Early in-person voting ended Sunday in New Jersey. Election Day is Tuesday.
