N.J. Stat. tit. 19, ch. 7

in effect

N.J. Stat. § 19:7-1 Appointment of challengers

19:7-1. a. The chairman of the county committee of any political party that has duly nominated any candidate for public office to be voted for at an election by all the voters within the county or any political division thereof greater than a single municipality, or where the election is within and for a single municipality only, or any subdivision thereof, then the chairman of the municipal committee of the political party making such nomination within and for such single municipality, or subdivision thereof, may appoint two challengers for each election district in the chairman's county or municipality, as the case may be. b. The chairman of the county committee of each political party may also: (1) appoint two challengers to serve and exercise the powers of challengers, in each election district in the county at any primary election; and (2) appoint additional challengers for any election equal in number to the number of municipalities in the county and such challengers may exercise their powers, as provided for in R.S.19:7-5, at the polling place of any election district in the county during the time an election occurs therein. Amended 1999,c.232,s.27.

N.J. Stat. § 19:7-2 Appointment of challengers.

19:7-2. A candidate who has filed a petition for an office to be voted for at the primary election, and a candidate for an office whose name may appear upon the ballot to be used in any election, may also act as a challenger as herein provided and may likewise appoint 2 challengers for each district in which he is to be voted for; but only 2 challengers shall be allowed for each election district to represent all the candidates nominated in and by the same original petition. The appointment of the challengers shall be in writing under the hand of the person or persons making same and shall specify the names and residences of the challengers and the election districts for which they are severally appointed. Whenever a public question shall appear on the ballot to be voted upon by the voters of an election district and application has been made by the proponents or opponents of such public question for the appointment of challengers, the county board may in its discretion appoint 2 challengers each to represent such proponents or opponents. Such challengers shall be in addition to those provided for in section 19:7-1 of this Title. amended 1956, c.66, s.1; 2005, c.136, s.10; 2011, c.134, s.10.

N.J. Stat. § 19:7-3 Filing of appointment, application for challengers.

19:7-3. The appointment of or application for challengers shall be filed with the county board not later than the third Tuesday preceding any election. No person shall be appointed a challenger under this Title who is not a registered voter in the county in which the district is located in which such person is appointed to serve, and no appointed challenger shall serve in any district other than that to which appointed except for challengers appointed by the chairman of a county committee, pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection b. of R.S.19:7-1. Amended 1956, c.66, s.2; 1999, c.232, s.28; 2025, c.23, s. 1.

N.J. Stat. § 19:7-4 Permits issued to challengers, revocation

19:7-4. The county board shall thereupon issue, under the hands of its members, to the persons named in such appointment papers, or application, permits for them to act as challengers for their respective parties or candidates or for or against a public question at the election district or election districts specified, as the case may be. Such permits shall be filed by the persons named therein with the district board or district boards named therein, as evidence of their authority to be present in the polling place, and they may be issued and revoked and others issued in their stead at any time up to and including the day of election. When a permit shall be revoked, the permit in the place thereof shall be issued upon the nomination of the same person or officer upon whose nomination the original permit was issued. A challenger appointed pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection b. of R.S.19:7-1 shall be issued a county-wide permit that is to be presented to any district board within the county as evidence of the challenger's authority to be present at the polling place during an election. Upon leaving the polling place, such a challenger must reclaim the permit from the district board to gain entry to any other polling place in the county during the election. Amended 1956, c.66, s.3; 1999, c.232, s.29.

N.J. Stat. § 19:7-5 Powers.

19:7-5. Such challengers shall be the authorized challengers for their respective political parties and candidates or for the proponents or opponents of a public question. They shall have the power to challenge the right to vote therein of any person claiming such right and shall have power to ask all necessary questions to determine this right. They may be present while the votes cast at any election are being counted, hear and see the ballots counted and shall have the right and power to challenge the counting or rejecting of any ballot or any part of a ballot. They shall be entitled to ask the members of the district boards of election at each polling place, no more than every two hours, for the official count of how many voters have voted at each precinct, and the district boards of election shall provide this information as the notice required pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2018, c.110 (C.19:52-3.1). amended 1956, c.66, s.4; 2018, c.110, s.2.

N.J. Stat. § 19:7-6 Badge

Every such challenger shall at any election wear a badge, to be furnished by the county board, which shall show to any person the political party or candidate or group of candidates or the side for whom or for which the challenger is acting. Amended by L.1956, c. 66, p. 153, s. 5.

N.J. Stat. § 19:7-6.1 Limitation on number of challengers present in polling place

1. Unless express permission be given by the district board, not more than one challenger appointed for a party, candidate, or on a public question, shall be present at any one time in any polling place while serving and exercising the powers of a challenger and during the hours when the polls are open for voting. If the district board shall in any case give permission for more than one challenger so appointed to be present at any one time in any polling place, it shall on the same grounds and on request permit a like number to be present on behalf of any opposing party, or on behalf of any other candidate for the same office, or on the other side of any public question. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any challengers appointed by the chairman of a county committee, pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection b. of R.S.19:7-1, except that no more than one such challenger shall be present at any time in a polling place while serving and exercising his or her power as a challenger during the hours when the polling place is open for voting. L.1960,c.82,s.1; amended 1999, c.232, s.30.

Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-activity/statutesFetched: 10/17/2026