Committee on Political Education (COPE)
Every year, the affiliated union organizations that comprise the New Jersey State AFL-CIO vote on which election candidates to endorse based on voting records and working family issues. The New Jersey labor movement has a proud history of supporting candidates who support working families. Working in partnership with the New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s political department, the state’s central labor councils and affiliated local unions, the Committee on Political Education (COPE) makes every effort to educate union members and their families about these endorsements and why they were made.
Register to Vote
The deadline to register to vote in the 2023 Primary Election is May 16, 2023. For more information about registering to vote, click here To check your voter registration status, click here
Online
You can register online. It’s easy and safe. To register online, you will need your date of birth and a driver’s license, a state non-driver Identification Card or your Social Security number. Online voter registration is available in English, Spanish, Korean, and Gujarati.
At Motor Vehicles
If you are eligible to vote in New Jersey, you may register to vote at a New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission office while applying for/renewing a driver’s license or non-driver identification (ID) card.
Hand-Delivered
You can download the printable form, then fill it out and deliver it into your County Commissioner of Registration or Superintendent of Elections for your county by Oct. 12. Voter registration forms are available in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Gujarati, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Punjabi, Hindi, European Portuguese and Arabic.
Apply to Vote-by-Mail:
Complete the Vote-by-Mail Application, and return it to your County Clerk
For more information about vote-by-mail, click here:
The CODE-U Program
The New Jersey State AFL-CIO has created a cutting-edge program called CODE-U (Committee on Digital Empowerment — Union) to provide coordinated messaging for affiliates to use on their social media networks.
The concept is simple: We provide sample messages for use by affiliates, everyone follows a simple weekly schedule, and together we create a massive online political education echo chamber.
Here’s the schedule for you to send CODE-U Messaging to your members:
Monday — eMail | Tuesday — Text | Wednesday — Website content | Thursday — Tweet | Friday — Facebook
New Jersey State AFL-CIO 2023 Election Timeline
compiled 1/9/23
January 20 Candidate petition deadline: February fire district election
January 24 Election Day: January special school bond & Trenton Council
January 28 Voter registration deadline: February fire district election
February 11 VMB application deadline by-mail: February fire district election
February 17 VBM application deadline in-person: February fire district election
February 18 Election Day: February fire district election
March 6 Candidate petition deadline: April school board election
March 6 Candidate petition deadline: May non-partisan elections
March 14 Election Day: March special school bond
March 25 VBM ballots mailed: May non-partisan election voting begins
March 27 Candidate petition deadline: June primary election
April 4 Voter registration deadline: April school board election
April 12 Change of party affiliation deadline: June primary election
April 18 VBM application deadline by-mail: April school board election
April 18 Voter registration deadline: May non-partisan election
April 22 VBM ballots mailed: June primary election voting begins
April 24 VBM application deadline in-person: April school board election
April 25 Election Day: April school board election
May 2 VMB application deadline by-mail: May non-partisan election
May 5-7 Early voting: May non-partisan election (if approved by municipality)
May 8 VBM application deadline in-person: May non-partisan election
May 9 Election Day: May non-partisan election
May 16 Voter registration deadline: June primary election
May 30 VBM application deadline by-mail: June primary election
June 2-4 Early voting: June primary election
June 5 VBM application deadline in-person: June primary election
June 6 Election Day: June primary election
June 13 Election Day: May non-partisan run-off election
June 13-14 New Jersey State AFL-CIO Endorsement Conference
July 31 Candidate petition deadline: November school board & fire district election
August 7 Constitutional ballot question deadline
August 12-13 New Jersey State AFL-CIO 27th Annual Labor Candidates School
August 29 Deadline for submission of public questions (not Constitutional Amendment)
Sept. 5 Candidate petition deadline: November non-partisan election
Sept. 23 VBM ballots mailed: general election voting begins
Sept. 26 Election Day: school bond
October 17 Voter registration deadline: general election
Oct. 28-Nov. 5 Early voting: general election
October 31 VBM application deadline by-mail: general election
November 6 VBM application deadline in-person: general election
November 7 Election Day: general election
November 13 VBM ballot must be received by county
November 20 County Board of Elections meetings
December 5 Election Day: non-partisan run-off
December 12 Election Day: December special school bond election
