How to watch the 2020 election results  

You can join ADP/PEP for a Zoom election night watch party! Drop by this Zoom link from 7pm-10pm on Tuesday 11/3 to watch the results and talk through what we’re seeing live.

If you can't join us and you’re following the results yourself, this information should help you interpret what the fall 2020 election results mean as they come in. You can tune into cable or network news for the results and you can follow along for live analysis and results in the election with these sources online:

• New York Times Live Updates, Presidential Results, Senate Results, House Results
• FiveThirtyEight Live Coverage

 

When do the polls close in each state? You can find the list of poll closing times listed in eastern time here. 

 

Which votes will be counted on election night? With early voting and voting by mail happening at record levels in 2020, it’s important to know that each state has different rules for which votes are counted and reported first--some will count and report their Election Day in person votes first, others will count and report mail-in or early votes first. Polls have shown that Democrats were more likely to say they would vote by mail this fall and Republicans were more likely to say they planned to vote in person on Election Day. That means that the first results states report might strongly lean in one presidential candidate’s or one party’s direction, depending on which votes they are reporting first.

Given these dynamics, it’s important to know which votes states are reporting on election night. You can refer to these two useful guides to better understand the results as they are coming in:

• FiveThirtyEight, When to Expect Election Results in Every State. This guide compiles when polls close, when states expect to have all their results reported, and if we expect to see shifts in the results based on which types of votes each state counts and reports first.
• New York Times, How Long Will Vote Counting Take? Estimates and Deadlines in All 50 States. This guide lists when state officials in each state say they expect to have results reported and what types of votes each state will be counting first. It also lists if states accept mail-in ballots postmarked before Election Day 11/3 but arriving afterwards.

 

Will we know the winners of the presidential contest and congressional races on election night? What we hear on election night are projections by media outlets based on exit poll data, prediction models, and unofficial results from each state. States don’t have final official results for a few days - or even a few weeks - after Election Day. While in some years there is enough information from these prediction models and unofficial results to announce the winners of presidential and congressional elections on election night, it is possible we won’t have enough of the vote counted for a winner to be known in the presidential, Senate or House races happening this year. And that’s ok! This means states are taking time to tally all votes cast so that we have accurate election results. 

Another reason we might see results coming in later--some states accept mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day but arriving afterwards. More mail-in voting than usual this year will mean a greater proportion of the results in these states will not be reported until a few days after the election. 

Want to know more about how news networks make their election projections? Check out this recent episode of the FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast for an interview with Dan Merkle, executive director of elections at ABC News, who manages projection decisions for the network. The Brookings Institution recently discussed how projections will operate differently this year with so much early voting in their article What to Watch for on Election Night 2020. 

 

Where did things stand coming into Election Day? You can get a sense at the state of the presidential and congressional races before Election Day from polling in presidential and congressional races as well as final predictions, including Electoral College prediction models from FiveThirtyEight, Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and the Princeton Electoral Consortium, and congressional predictions for individual House and Senate races and for the balance of party power in the House and Senate. 

Presidential Election

Meet the candidates. Click the links for each candidate to visit their campaign website where you can learn about their background and their policy positions. 

There are several third party candidates for President who will also appear on the ballot in New Jersey this fall: Jo Jorgenson (Libertarian Party), Howie Hawkins (Green Party), Don Blankenship (Constitution Party), Rocky De La Fuente (Alliance Party), Bill Hammons (Unity Party of America), and Gloria Estela La Riva (Party for Socialism and Liberation).

 

Presidential elections in the U.S. are decided by the Electoral College. A candidate needs to win a majority of electoral votes in the Electoral College – at least 270 electoral votes out of the 538 available – to win the election. 

Each state has a number of electoral votes that corresponds to the size of their congressional delegation. In nearly all states, the candidate who wins the popular vote in the state wins all that state’s electoral votes. 

Several states consistently vote for one party from election to election. Others – often referred to as battleground states, swing states or toss-up states – are less predictable, sometimes voting for Republican candidates and sometimes for Democratic candidates. The campaign focuses greater attention on these battleground states, as the outcomes in these key states determines the winner of the Electoral College. 

 

Follow the 2020 Presidential Campaign with Stockton’s Electoral College Tracker! To help you follow where the 2020 presidential race stands, ADP/PEP will be maintaining an Electoral College tracker here. 

States that are likely to vote for the Republican candidate Donald Trump are shaded in red. States that are likely to vote for the Democratic candidate Joe Biden are shaded in blue. States considered battleground states – where either party could win – will appear in tan.

We will update this map weekly, on Mondays, to reflect the latest polling, and we’ll list the polling averages in the battleground states below the map.

 

Electoral College Tracker (Updated 11/2/20)

 

 

Why no third party candidates in the Electoral College tracker? The candidate who wins the popular vote in a state wins all that state’s electoral votes. Even though third party candidates can impact the popular vote in several states, it is very difficult for any third party candidate to win the plurality of votes that they would need to win any electoral votes. As a result, Electoral College projections do not include third party candidates; in this tracker, we follow that widely used convention. 

Congressional Elections

This fall, we’ll also be voting for elected officials who represent us in Congress. This means all New Jersey voters will have the chance to vote in a Senate race and a House of Representatives race.

Below you can learn about who is running in these elections. You’ll find candidate names, party affiliations and links to their official campaign websites where available. You’ll also see which candidate is currently in office (known as the incumbent). 

 

U.S. Senate 

New Jersey has two Senators, Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, who represent all residents of New Jersey. One of our two Senators is up for reelection this year, so here’s who is on the ballot for you to choose from in the NJ Senate election.

• Cory Booker (D) (Incumbent) 
• Rik Mehta (R)
• Madelyn Hoffman (Green Party)
• Daniel Burke (Larouche Was Right Party)
• Veronica Fernandez (Of, By, For! Party)
• Luis Vergara (Independent)

 

 

Public Questions

New Jersey also has three public questions that voters will be asked to vote on this fall. Public questions are either state constitutional amendments or state statutes that New Jersey voters are asked to vote on directly. 

Here, you’ll find the language for all three public questions that will appear on the ballot this fall and the interpretive statement for each that is provided to voters. To help you find out more about these ballot questions, you’ll see some links where you can review some more information and analysis about these measures. 

 

Public Question 1. Constitutional Amendment to Legalize Marijuana 

Do you approve amending the Constitution to legalize a controlled form of marijuana called “cannabis”?

Only adults at least 21 years of age could use cannabis. The State commission created to oversee the State’s medical cannabis program would also oversee the new, personal use cannabis market.

Cannabis products would be subject to the State sales tax. If authorized by the Legislature, a municipality may pass a local ordinance to charge a local tax on cannabis products.

 

Interpretive Statement for Public Question 1

This amendment would legalize a controlled form of marijuana called “cannabis.” Only persons at least 21 years of age could use cannabis products legally.

The Cannabis Regulatory Commission would oversee the new adult cannabis market. This commission was created in 2019 to oversee the State’s medical cannabis program. The scope of the commission’s new authority would be detailed in laws enacted by the Legislature.

All retail sales of cannabis products in the new adult cannabis market would be subject to the State’s sales tax. If authorized by the Legislature, a municipality may pass a local ordinance to charge a local tax on cannabis products.

 

What does a vote on Public Question 1 mean? 

• A “Yes” vote supports legalizing the possession and use of marijuana for persons age 21 and older and the cultivation, processing, and sale of retail marijuana.
• A “No” vote opposes legalizing the possession and use of marijuana for persons age 21 and older and the cultivation, processing, and sale of retail marijuana in New Jersey.

 

Want to learn more about public question 1? Check out these additional links for more information

NJ voters to decide on legalizing marijuana

NJ lawmakers pass marijuana referendum for 2020 ballot

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Public Question 2. Property Tax Deduction and Exemption for Peacetime Veterans 

Do you approve amending the Constitution to give a $250 property tax deduction to veterans who did not serve in time of war? Do you also approve amending the Constitution to give a 100 percent property tax exemption to certain totally disabled veterans who did not serve in time of war?

The widow or widower of these veterans also would receive this $250 deduction or 100 percent exemption after the veteran’s death.

 

Interpretive Statement

This amendment would give a $250 property tax deduction to veterans who did not serve in time of war. The widow or widower of a veteran who did not serve in time of war would receive this deduction after the veteran’s death.

The amendment also extends the 100 percent property tax exemption for disabled veterans to veterans who became disabled during peacetime military service. Persons who became disabled during peacetime military service and reside in a continuing care retirement community would not receive the 100 percent exemption for disabled veterans.

Currently, these property tax deductions and exemptions are only given to veterans who served during time of war. The amendment would give the deductions and exemptions to veterans who did not serve in wartime.

 

What does a vote on Public Question 2 mean? 

• A “Yes” vote supports making veterans who served in peacetime eligible for property tax deductions or exemptions.  
• A “No” vote opposes making veterans who served in peacetime eligible for property tax deductions or exemptions. In effect, this would continue to provide these property tax deductions or exemptions only to veterans who served in wartime. 

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Public Question 3. Constitutional Amendment to Change the Legislative Redistricting Schedule if Census Data is Delayed 

Do you approve amending the Constitution to change when new legislative districts are created if the federal census data is delayed?

he current COVID-19 pandemic has delayed census data collection. If New Jersey does not receive the census data in a timely manner, new legislative districts may not be ready in time for State legislative elections in the year ending in one.

This change to the redistricting schedule will allow legislators to be elected that year from their existing districts for their two-year term in office. The new districts will be used starting with the next scheduled general election for the State legislature.

 

Interpretive Statement

This constitutional amendment changes when new legislative districts are created if the federal census data is delayed.

The United States Constitution requires that a census be taken every ten years to count the people living in the country. Census data is then used to create new legislative districts to ensure residents have equal representation from elected officials. However, the current COVID-19 pandemic has delayed census data collection. This may delay census data to the states and may affect the creation of new legislative districts.

The State Constitution requires an Apportionment Commission to create new legislative districts every ten years after the federal census is completed. If the census data is delayed, the new legislative districts may not be created in a timely manner to hold elections.

This constitutional amendment requires the commission to delay creating the new districts if the Governor receives the federal census data after February 15 of the year ending in one. The commission will adopt the new districts after the November general election, but not later than March 1 of the year ending in two.

The new districts will be used starting with legislative elections in the year ending in three. They will continue to be used until new districts are again created by the Apportionment Commission after the next federal census.

For the June primary and November general elections in the year ending in one, Senators and Assembly members will use their existing districts to run for a term of two years. The old districts will also be in effect in the year ending in two if any legislative election is held in that year.

This amendment requires the commission to begin conducting its business when the Governor receives the census data. It also requires the eleventh member of the commission to be appointed by the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court within one month after the Governor receives the census data.

Nothing in this amendment will alter the appointment of the members of the commission made by the State political party chairs pursuant to Article IV, Section III, paragraph 1 of the State Constitution on or before November 15, and certified by the Secretary of State on or before December 1, of the year in which the census is taken.

 

What does a vote on Public Question 3 mean? 

• A “Yes” vote supports postponing the state legislative redistricting process until after the November 2021 election and keeping current state legislative districts in place until 2023 if Census data is delayed.
•  A “No” vote opposes postponing the state legislative redistricting process, keeping in place the current requirement that new state legislative district maps be certified shortly after receiving Census data.

 

Want to learn more about public question 2? Check out these additional links for more information

NJ voters will decide on constitutional amendment to delay redistricting

Let’s not guarantee that communities of color must wait 2 years for fair representation