AMAC in the Garden State
New Jersey seniors pay the highest property taxes in America — and the one form that fights back is due November 2.
The average property-tax bill hit a record $10,570 last year, after crossing $10,000 for the first time the year before — while electric bills jumped as much as 20% in a single year. One combined application, the PAS-1, now covers Senior Freeze, ANCHOR and Stay NJ. File it by November 2, 2026 — then vote the next morning.
23 days until New Jersey votes
Tens of thousands of AMAC members call New Jersey home.
The civic scoreboard
How voting works in New Jersey — dates, rules and districts at a glance.
Next election
Nov 3, 2026
Cory Booker’s U.S. Senate seat and all 12 U.S. House seats — NJ-7 is one of the most-watched races in America. No statewide ballot questions are expected; the legislature isn’t up until 2027, and the governor’s office (Sherrill, elected 2025) not until 2029.
Registration
Oct 13
Register by Tuesday, Oct 13 — 21 days before Election Day. New Jersey has no same-day registration.
Early voting
9 days
In-person early voting runs Oct 24 through Nov 1 — ending the Sunday before Election Day — at any early-voting site in your county.
Mail voting
No-excuse
Any voter can vote by mail. Join the permanent vote-by-mail list once and every ballot comes to you automatically.
Voter ID
Not required
Registered voters generally aren’t asked for ID at the polls. It’s only requested from first-time voters who registered by mail without a license or Social Security number on file.
ERIC member
Yes
New Jersey joined the Electronic Registration Information Center in 2022 — the cross-state duplicate-registration check.
Districts
12 · 40 · 80
U.S. House · State Senate · Assembly
12 U.S. House seats. The state’s 40 legislative districts each elect one senator and two Assembly members — next up in November 2027.
Counties
21
From Sussex to Cape May. Property taxes are billed by your town, but the relief programs — and the PAS-1 form — run statewide.
Facts sourced from NCSL, EAC and the New Jersey Division of Elections · Data current as of September 2026.
The New Jersey Test
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The New Jersey Poll · September
One question a month, New Jersey only. This month's voting has closed — the conversation is still open.
Trenton’s answer to the nation’s highest property taxes is relief checks — ANCHOR, Senior Freeze, and now Stay NJ. What’s the real fix?
This poll has closed — the new question is coming soon.
What your state capitol and Washington are moving.
New Jersey combined Senior Freeze, ANCHOR and Stay NJ into a single application, the PAS-1, filed at propertytaxrelief.nj.gov. The deadline for this year’s benefits is November 2, 2026. For homeowners 65+, the three programs together can cover up to half the property-tax bill — Stay NJ tops up whatever Senior Freeze and ANCHOR don’t reach, to a combined cap of $6,500 a year at full strength.
Our note: File it even if you think you don’t qualify — the income tiers changed this year, and one form checks all three programs at once.
Stay NJ’s first checks went out in February 2026 as reduced partial payments; the full annual benefit — bringing a senior homeowner’s combined relief to half the tax bill, capped at $6,500 — arrives with the 2027 payments. And June’s budget cut the income limit from $500,000 to $200,000, with reduced $5,000 and $4,000 caps above $100,000.
Our note: A benefit whose rules change every budget season isn’t a promise. We’re watching the next budget — and holding legislators to the full benefit.
Cory Booker (D) faces Justin Murphy (R) — Republicans haven’t won a New Jersey Senate race since 1972. All 12 House seats are up, and NJ-7 (Kean vs. Bennett) is a top-tier national battleground.
Our note: We’re pressing every candidate for a written answer on the $150k retirement-income cliff and the property-tax deduction.
Supply rates jumped 17–20% in June 2025 after the regional capacity auction spiked. The 2026 auction came in roughly flat — so the shock didn’t repeat, but it didn’t go away either.
Our note: Flat isn’t relief. We back building more generation to work the premium back down — not conservation lectures for seniors on fixed incomes.
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