S656 - Electoral Freedom Act of 2017. (SL 2017-214)

Overview: S.L. 2017-214 does the following:

• Amends the qualifications for a group of voters to be recognized as a political party.
• Lowers the number of signatures required on petitions for unaffiliated candidates to be included on the general election ballot for the following offices:
• Statewide office.
• District office, other than General Assembly seat.
• Partisan municipal office.
• Changes the deadline for filing petitions for unaffiliated candidates.
• Lowers the threshold for a substantial plurality in primary elections to 30% of the vote.
• Eliminates primaries for all justices and judges of the Courts in 2018.

This act becomes effective January 1, 2018, and applies to primaries and elections held on or after that date.