Early voting for the first time in a presidential election year lit up the polling places this weekend around New Jersey.

Today (Sunday) was the second day New Jersey voters could go to the polls following the advent of the process yesterday (Saturday). Voters turned out. Monmouth County alone was on pace to have processed an estimated 13,000 votes by the end of the weekend

In Somerset, the centerpiece of New Jersey’s most competitive congressional contest, featuring incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-7) against Democratic challenger Sue Altman, voters came and went from the municipal building at a brisk pace all afternoon.

While voters lined up outside polling places on a Sunday inevitably created a dramatic image, a somewhat less than dramatic reason contributed.

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Hanlon cited the clerks’ use of new poll books and new procedures in part for the long lines extending outside polling places in some instances.

“The new technology is a lot slower than the old technology,” Hanlon said. “My biggest message through this whole general election cycle has been to remind people that the process will be slower.”

But it is also a presidential election year – the first since the implementation of early voting in 2021, which came on the heels of the COVID-era mail-in ballots – where clerks expect presential year turnout in the area of 80%.

Some people have not been to a polling location in a presidential election going back to 2016, let alone before election day.

Mostly driving turnout this year is the contest between Vice President Kamala Harris (D) and Republican nominee former President Donald J. Trump.

Harris will win blue New Jersey without difficulty. But:

A CBS News/YouGov poll showed Harris leading Trump nationally by 50%-49% among likely voters, slightly down from a 51%-48% advantage in mid-October, but well within the survey’s margin of error.

An ABC News/Ipsos poll showed Harris leading Trump by 51% to 47% among likely voters, in part to Harris’ advantage among women voters. The results are slightly outside the poll’s margin of error, +/-2.5 percentage points.

From the Secretary of State’s Office:

Last year, historic legislation established in-person early voting in New Jersey. This law makes our state even more voter-friendly and strengthens our democracy by expanding opportunities to exercise your right to vote. This new option allows registered voters to cast their ballot in person, using a voting machine, during the designated voting period prior to Election Day. You can now choose to vote, in person, when it’s most convenient for your schedule.

Every county will provide registered voters with this option for the 2024 General Election. They will designate in-person early voting locations that will be open Saturday, October 26, 2024 – Sunday, November 3, 2024 (the in-person early voting period). Hours will be Monday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary.