After concern arose that Jewish residents would be hindered from participating in the primary because of the Jewish holiday Shavuot, lawmakers are moving forward with a plan to shift the election back one week.
Senate President Nick Scutari and state Sen. James Beach introduced a bill to reschedule the 2025 primary election date from June 3 to June 10 to accommodate a period of religious observance.
“Shifting the 2025 primary date by one week will avoid an overlap with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot,” Scutari said in a statement. “This will allow members of the Orthodox Jewish community to fully participate in the primary election, including the ability to cast in-person ballots on Election Day. We want to ensure that our democratic system of governance remains open and accessible to all voters.”
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As it stands, the primary conflicts with Shavuot, a Jewish holiday where those observing are not allowed to use electronic devices, write, drive, or travel.
The bill would require the Secretary of State to inform all county clerks, county boards of election, superintendents of elections, municipal clerks and the public of the rescheduled primary election day no later than seven days following the effective date of the bill.
The bill appeared in committee Monday.
In a joint statement, Gov. Phil Murphy, Speaker Craig Coughlin and Scutari said the “right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy and everyone deserves the freedom to have their voice heard at the ballot box.”
“We have an obligation to encourage participation and ensure everyone can participate in and trust our electoral system,” they said. “We cannot allow deeply held and legitimate religious beliefs to become a barrier to voting.”
