The bill amends several sections of New Jersey's election law regarding the nomination process for candidates. Specifically, it modifies R.S.19:13-5 to establish that petitions for nominations must be signed by a minimum of five percent of the total votes cast in the last General Assembly election, with exceptions for statewide candidates and newly established districts. Additionally, R.S.19:23-8 is revised to set specific signature requirements for candidates based on the political party and the population of the municipality or ward, ensuring that the number of required signatures is proportionate to the number of voters in that area.

Furthermore, the bill introduces a new section, C.19:23-7.1, which mandates that the Secretary of State must publish the forms for candidate nomination petitions by January 1 of each year in which a primary election is held. It also stipulates that signatures collected using forms published before the effective date of this act will still be valid, even if they do not comply with the new requirements. The act is set to take effect immediately and is retroactive to January 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 19:60-7, 40:45-8
Advance Law: 19:60-7, 40:45-8
Pamphlet Law: 19:60-7, 40:45-8