Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation Feb. 3 that more than doubles the number of petition signatures needed to get on the ballot in the Garden State. The bill also made the new requirements effective this year, even though petition forms had already been made available and candidates had started the process of collecting signatures for the June 10 primary.

The bill passed the Assembly in 10 days with no explanation of the urgency associated with its provisions. Opponents say it had a lot to do with the fact that all 80 seats in the Assembly are up this year, and this bill favors incumbents since it has the potential to limit competition.

Both Democratic candidates in the race for 1st District Assembly seats in Cape May County have criticized the legislation. Brandon Saffold and Carolyn Rush hope to challenge Republican incumbents Antwan McClellan and Erik Simonsen in November.

Saffold said, “It is no coincidence this comes as the county line was abolished,” referring to the unique ballot placement procedure that favored candidates with county party support. The county line ballot was successfully challenged in court in 2024 by U.S. Sen. Andy Kim as he fought then-candidate Tammy Murphy.

The current bill was sponsored and pushed by state Democrats, who seek to maintain their control of the Legislature in a year when Republicans hope to successfully challenge for the governor’s office. Those seeking placement on the ballot for the Assembly will now need 250 signatures rather than 100.

Assemblyman Lou Greenwald, the bill’s sponsor, defended the legislation, saying the higher threshold should pose no problem for sincere office seekers; he said the bill weeds out frivolous candidates. He did not explain why weeding out frivolous candidates warranted urgent action by the Legislature.

Offices from governor to school board have had their signature requirements change. For statewide office the number of signatures on the petition moved from 1,000 to 2,500, and for school board races it went from 10 to 25.

Cape May County’s 1st Legislative District team saw Sen. Michael Testa and Simonsen voting against the bill, with McClellan not voting.

Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.