2011 New Jersey elections
| Elections in New Jersey |
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A general election was held in the U.S. state of New Jersey on November 8, 2011. Primary elections were held on June 7. The only state positions up in this election cycle were all 80 seats in the New Jersey General Assembly and all 40 seats in the Senate. In addition to the State Legislative elections, numerous county offices and freeholders in addition to municipal offices were up for election. There was one statewide ballot question, in which voters approved legislation to legalize gambling. Some counties and municipalities may have had local ballot questions. Non-partisan local elections, some school board elections, and some fire district elections also happened throughout the year.
Legislature
Senate
The 2011 New Jersey State Senate elections were held on November 4. The election took place midway through Chris Christie's first term as Governor of New Jersey. No seats changed hands, though Democrats had gained one seat in a 2010 special election with Linda Greenstein's victory over Tom Goodwin.
This was the first election under maps drawn after the 2010 census. Three incumbents retired from the Senate including Sean Kean, who was redistricted into Jennifer Beck's district and ran for Assembly rather than challenge her.
General Assembly
All 80 seats in the General Assembly were up for election this year. In each Legislative district, there are two people elected; the top two winners in the general election are the ones sent to the Assembly. Typically, the two members of each party run as a team in each election. After the previous election, Democrats captured 47 seats while the Republicans won 33 seats. These were the first elections to be held after the 2010 redistricting cycle.
Democrats gained one seat, by flipping a seat in the 4th district, which they had only lost two years prior.
Overall results
Summary of the November 8, 2011 New Jersey General Assembly election results:[1]
| 48 | 32 |
| Democratic | Republican |
| Parties | Candidates | Seats | Popular Vote | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 2011 | +/- | Strength | Vote | % | Change | |||
| Democratic | 80 | 47 | 48 |  1
|
60% | 1,339,201 | 51.2% |  0.0%
| |
| Republican | 79 | 33 | 32 |  1
|
40% | 1,253,824 | 48.0% | 0.0%
| |
| Green | 2 | 0 | 0 |
|
0% | 2,284 | 0.1% | 0.0%
| |
| Libertarian | 4 | 0 | 0 |
|
0% | 3,692 | 0.1% | 0.0%
| |
| Independent | 10 | 0 | 0 |
|
0% | 15,310 | 0.6% | 0.0%
| |
| Total | 176 | 80 | 80 | 0 | 100.0% | 2,614,311 | 100.0% | - | |
Ballot measures
One statewide question was on the ballot. It was approved by voters:
- Public Question Number 1, The measure amended the state constitution to allow the legislature to legalize betting on the results of professional, college, and amateur sporting events.[2]
- 70–80%
- 60–70%
- 50–60%
Question 1
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
Yes 
|
671,797 | 63.9% |
No 
|
379,339 | 36.1% |
| Total votes | 1,051,136 | 100% |
References
- ^ "2011 Election Results". Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 1, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
- ^ "New Jersey Sports Betting Amendment, Public Question 1 (2011)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 1, 2023.