Challenger Applications

Candidates or campaigns that wish to appoint challengers must submit a Challenger Request Form.

Pursuant to NJ Statute 19:7-3, the Challenger Request Form must be filed not later than the third Tuesday preceding any election

All challengers must be registered to vote within Bergen County.

1. Filing a Challenger Application Print, fill out, and submit a Challenger Request Form
2. Send the form one of the following ways:
   • Fax to: 201-336-6242
   • Mail to:
     Bergen County Board of Election
     One Bergen County Plaza
     Room 310
     Hackensack, NJ 07601

Challengers Do’s & Don’ts

Challengers Can:

• Beginning two hours after the opening of the polls, and no more than every two hours thereafter, ask the district board for the official count of how many voters have voted, and the district board shall, beginning two hours after the opening of the polls, and no more than every two hours thereafter, display a notice containing the official count of the total number of voters who have voted.
• Challenge a voter if the challenger believes the voter is not qualified to vote. In order to vote a person must be: A United States citizen, Registered to vote, 18 years of age or older, A resident of the County for at least 30 days before the election.

Challenge Process in the Polling Place:

• If your right to vote is challenged, the board workers may ask you for identification and you must sign an affidavit. The challenger must also sign an affidavit.
• If the board workers vote to reject the challenge or there is a tie vote on the challenge, you have the right to vote on the voting machine.
• If the board workers vote to uphold the challenge, you cannot vote but you have the right to go to a Superior Court Judge to request a court order to vote. The board workers must tell you where to go to see the Judge.

IMPORTANT: ANYONE CAN REQUEST THE UNOFFICIAL VOTE TOTALS AFTER THE POLLS CLOSE.

Challengers Cannot:

Challenge a voter for any of these reasons:

• They think they know how the voter is going to vote.
• The race or ethnic origin of the voter.
• The voter resides in a particular ward, housing complex, or section of a municipality or county.

IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE FOR A CHALLENGER TO CHALLENGE A VOTER FOR ANY OF THE ABOVE REASONS.

Sit with the district board workers or touch the election materials.

• Go to the voting machine during the voting hours.
• Challenge the voter directly or engage the voter in conversation or any other matter.     Only the district board can ask the voter questions.
• Wear any campaign buttons, signs or campaign clothing.
• Harass or intimidate any voters or cause any disturbances in the polling place.
• Challenge a voter because the district board asks the voter to affirm his or her residence   or asks a first-time registrant by mail to show identification.

Title 19: 7-1, 7-2 Appointment of Challengers

• All appointments are verified and appointed by the County Board of Elections
• The municipal chairperson from each political party may appoint two challengers in a municipal election
• The county chairperson of each political party may (1) appoint two challengers for each election district, and (2) appoint additional challengers for any election equal in number to the number of municipalities in the county and such challengers may exercise their powers, as provided for in R.S.19:7-5, at the polling place of any election district in the county during the time an election occurs therein.

Title 19: 7-2 Appointment of Challengers

• A candidate who has filed a petition for an office to be voted for at the primary election, and a candidate for an office whose name may appear upon the ballot to be used in any election, may also act as a challenger as herein provided and may likewise appoint 2 challengers for each district in which he is to be voted for; but only 2 challengers shall be allowed for each election district to represent all the candidates nominated in and by the same original petition. 
• Whenever a public question shall appear on the ballot to be voted upon by the voters of an election district and application has been made by the proponents or opponents of such public question for the appointment of challengers, the county board may in its discretion appoint 2 challengers each to represent such proponents or opponents. Such challengers shall be in addition to those provided for in section 19:7-1 of this Title.

Title 19: 7-3 Filing of appointment, application for challengers.

• The appointment of or application for challengers shall be filed with the county board not later than the third Tuesday preceding any election. No person shall be appointed a challenger under this Title who is not a registered voter in the county in which the district is located in which such person is appointed to serve, and no appointed challenger shall serve in any district other than that to which appointed except for challengers appointed by the chairman of a county committee, pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection b. of R.S.19:7-1.

Title 19:7-4. Permits issued to challengers, revocation

• The county board shall thereupon issue, under the hands of its members, to the persons named in such appointment papers, or application, permits for them to act as challengers for their respective parties or candidates or for or against a public question at the election district or election districts specified, as the case may be.
• A challenger appointed pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection b. of R.S.19:7-1 shall be issued a county-wide permit that is to be presented to any district board within the county as evidence of the challenger’s authority to be present at the polling place during an election. Upon leaving the polling place, such a challenger must reclaim the permit from the district board to gain entry to any other polling place in the county during the election.

Title 19:7-5. Powers

• 19:7-5. Such challengers shall be the authorized challengers for their respective political parties and candidates or for the proponents or opponents of a public question. They shall have the power to challenge the right to vote therein of any person claiming such right and shall have power to ask all necessary questions to determine this right. They may be present while the votes cast at any election are being counted, hear and see the ballots counted and shall have the right and power to challenge the counting or rejecting of any ballot or any part of a ballot. They shall be entitled to ask the members of the district boards of election at each polling place, no more than every two hours, for the official count of how many voters have voted at each precinct, and the district boards of election shall provide this information as the notice required pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2018, c.110 (C.19:52-3.1).

Title 19:7-6. Badge

• Every such challenger shall at any election wear a badge, to be furnished by the county board, which shall show to any person the political party or candidate or group of candidates or the side for whom or for which the challenger is acting.

Title 19:7-6.1 Limitation on number of challengers present in polling place

• Unless express permission be given by the district board, not more than one challenger appointed for a party, candidate, or on a public question, shall be present at any one time in any polling place while serving and exercising the powers of a challenger and during the hours when the polls are open for voting. If the district board shall in any case give permission for more than one challenger so appointed to be present at any one time in any polling place, it shall on the same grounds and on request permit a like number to be present on behalf of any opposing party, or on behalf of any other candidate for the same office, or on the other side of any public question.
• The provisions of this section shall not apply to any challengers appointed by the chairman of a county committee, pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection b. of R.S.19:7-1, except that no more than one such challenger shall be present at any time in a polling place while serving and exercising his or her power as a challenger during the hours when the polling place is open for voting.