New Jersey Has No Plan for Snowstorm During February Special Election

New Jersey officials haven’t mapped out what to do if a snowstorm hits during the February 2026 special congressional primary in the 11th district. Early voting kicks off Jan. 29. The primary happens Feb. 5.

The New Jersey Globe reported a spokesman from the state Attorney General’s office said that choices about closing polling locations would be made one by one. Extending voting would require court approval. The district spans parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties, each with its own board of elections under different judicial vicinages.

“This is uncharted territory for us in New Jersey, but having an election in the middle of snow season means we will need a snow plan that all voters know and understand,” said Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, according to the New Jersey Globe.

The race will fill Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s seat. Vote-by-mail ballots went out Dec. 22.

Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett, a candidate in the race, said election officials and the judiciary need a plan right now. “Our campaign will be ready to help protect individual voters’ rights at the polls,” Bartlett stated. “But the relevant authorities all need to do what they can now to avoid the additional confusion that could arise from slow or inconsistent responses to inclement weather across the 11th district.”

Weather in Nutley differs wildly from Jefferson. Pollworker shortages during bad weather make things worse, and polling location closures pile on more problems.

Past winter elections in the state have stumbled into similar trouble. Gov. Thomas Kean suspended local school board elections in eleven counties back in 1982 after snow made roads dangerous. A February 1978 snowstorm pushed school elections in Monmouth County back two weeks.

After Superstorm Sandy struck nine days before the 2012 general election, many polling locations lost power or flooded. Turnout dropped in Monmouth and Ocean counties. The state let some voters cast ballots by email or fax.

The last winter congressional primary in the state took place Jan. 24, 1950. That day brought light rain and temperatures in the high 40s, with nearly 6,000 more Republicans voting than in the April primary.

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