I have been a political independent for 40 years. New Jersey calls me an unaffiliated voter, but I call myself an independent because I prefer to be defined as who I am, not by who I am not. I am proudly independent of the two-party system and vote for the candidate, not the party.
In the 1980s, people would ask me if it was legal to be an independent. Now, in a recent Gallup Poll, 45% of voters have identified as independents. The same poll showed approval ratings for the Democratic Party at 34% and for the Republican Party at 38%.
With 2.3 million (35%) independent voters, New Jersey ranks 6th in the country in the total number of independents. There are more independents than Republicans in our state. Yet, we don’t have a voice in the political process as independents. This is not because we are apathetic or apolitical, but because the elections are designed to negate our voice by forcing us to join a party to participate fully in the electoral process.
In 2024, independents were the fastest-growing group of voters in New Jersey. The number of registered voters increased by 244,598 people in 2024. Of these new registrants, nearly half (46%) chose to register as independents, while 39% registered as Republicans. Only 15% chose to be Democrats. In 16 of our 40 legislative districts, independents were the plurality in 2024.
In New Jersey, an unaffiliated voter can go to the polls on primary day and vote, but not as an independent. After we vote, our registration is switched to the party that we voted for. In many cases, voters are not even informed at the polls that their registration will be changed.
The advocacy group Independents4NJ contacted the Board of Elections in every county last year to inquire about the process. We were told each county has a different process. Many counties gave us erroneous information, including that we were not allowed to vote in the primaries. In some cases, we are sent letters several times a year by our local Board of Elections telling us that we need to join a party in order to vote or to receive a mail-in ballot.
In the 2025 primaries, 116,000 independents made the hard choice to join a party to vote in the primaries. For many, they were coerced to join a party. No one should be forced to join a party to vote in a publicly financed election. Can you imagine a Democrat being told that they must register as a Republican to vote, or a Republican being told to register as a Democrat?
Furthermore, the Board of Elections does not change my registration into a party until after I have voted in a primary. This is a deceptive way to decrease the number of independents and increase party enrollment. More importantly, it makes the statement that independents are not wanted and do not have full voting rights.
Independents choose to be independents. Many of us want to vote for the person, not the party or do not like the two-party system. Some of us are veterans who pledged to support the Constitution, not pledge allegiance to the two parties. Some of us want to split our tickets and vote for Democrat, Republican, and Independent candidates. We care deeply about the future of this country. We are not leaners or apathetic. We just don’t see our vision expressed in the current two-party system.
New Jersey is among the most forward-thinking states in the country. And yet, on this issue of democracy, we are not. Only 19 states have closed or partially closed primaries. At least 22 states have some type of open primaries. We are falling behind the times, as more states are fully welcoming independents into the political process.
New Mexico and Maine are among the states where the state legislatures have recently passed bills for open and semi-open primaries. The Pennsylvania legislature has passed an open primaries bill in both houses, albeit in different sessions. In 2024, Washington D.C. passed an open primaries ballot measure with 72% voting in favor of the measure.
In Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming, the group Open Primaries has filed legal suits to challenge the exclusion of independents from primary elections.
The public discourse is rapidly changing. In 2022 Unite America poll, 91% of Americans said that “all voters should be able to vote for any candidate in every taxpayer-funded election.” The same poll showed that less than 20% like the current, partisan controlled primary system. In Pennsylvania, former Govs. Ed Rendell, Tom Wolf, Mark Schweiker, and Tom Ridge, as well as former State Democratic Party Chair TJ Rooney and former Republican Party Chair Alan Novak have come out in favor of open primaries.
Independent voters in New Jersey should have full voting rights. As a first step, allow independents to vote in the primaries without changing our registration. This step would tell the 2.3 million independents in our state that we are no longer second-class citizens and that our voice matters. Second, resume the practice of sending us mail-in ballots for the primaries (rescind the 2022 law).
And, to the 2.3 million independents, we need to make our voice heard. Let your Assembly candidates know that you want them to fight for the rights of independents. Get involved in Independents4NJ. Independents have a role to play in creating a new political discourse and culture. Let’s make it happen.
