New Jersey voters elect Senate and House members in Tuesday's midterm election

Almost every county expected to release early ballots in the first report

New Jersey voters will choose their representatives in Congress on Tuesday, deciding races for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House as the 2026 midterm election reaches Election Day. Polls close at 8 p.m. ET, according to the Associated Press, which will provide vote results and declare winners in the state’s federal races.

Almost every New Jersey county is expected to release most or all of its mail and in-person early voting results in the first vote report of the night, before any in-person Election Day results are released, according to the AP’s decision notes on the election.

The AP’s advance vote tracker lists the latest advance vote totals for New Jersey. In the state’s most recent statewide election, about 3.3 million votes were cast in the 2025 race for governor, the AP said.

The decision notes also include a benchmark for how long vote counting usually takes. In the 2024 general election, the first results in New Jersey were reported starting at 8:01 p.m. ET, one minute after polls closed, according to the AP. The state reached 50% of votes reporting at 9:06 p.m. ET and 90% of votes reporting at 11:54 p.m. ET.

The Associated Press does not make projections. The organization said it will declare a winner only when it determines there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap.

If a race has not been called, the AP said it will continue to cover newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, it will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

Recounts are rare in New Jersey, according to the AP. The state has no automatic recounts, but candidates and voters may request and pay for them, with the cost refunded if the outcome changes.

The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

The AP said it compiled the details as key facts and data points its decision team will monitor as the votes are tallied. The organization collects its 2026 election coverage on a dedicated elections project page.