Can you vote with a felony in New Jersey?

Q: Do you have to pay fines and fees before you can vote in New Jersey?

Not required. R.S.19:4-1 bars only people who are serving a sentence of incarceration; it sets no payment condition, and the Division of Elections' registration page lists none.

The short answer

After prison.

In New Jersey, people lose the right to vote only while in prison for a felony. It comes back on release, including on parole or probation. Some other convictions can affect it too; the details are below.

In New Jersey, people cannot vote while they are serving a sentence of incarceration for an indictable offense (New Jersey law uses this term rather than 'felony' for more serious crimes). Since a 2019 law took effect, the right returns on release, including for people on parole or probation, but people must register again before voting.^1,2,3

Checked October 22, 2026 against 4 sources, starting with New Jersey law, then by a second reader.

In prison for a felonyCan't vote^1,2
On paroleCan vote¹
On probationCan vote¹
Sentence completeCan vote after registering again¹

Check with New Jersey's election office

Before you register

Your state or county election office can confirm your own status, for free. Voting while ineligible can carry criminal penalties, so if anything about your case is unclear, ask them first. The general election is November 3, 2026; registration deadlines are on vote.gov.

How the right comes back

Automatically

Eligibility returns when a person is no longer serving a sentence of incarceration; no application is needed. R.S.19:31-17(c), as amended by P.L.2019, c.270, says a person convicted and sentenced to incarceration is denied the right to register while serving the sentence, and that such persons 'upon the restoration of their citizenship rights or upon being pardoned shall be required to register or reregister before being allowed to vote.'¹

Fines, fees and restitution

Not required

R.S.19:4-1 bars only people who are serving a sentence of incarceration; it sets no payment condition, and the Division of Elections' registration page lists none.¹

Registering again

Yes

Once the right is back, New Jersey requires a new voter registration before voting.¹

Misdemeanors and jail

The main bar applies only to people incarcerated for an 'indictable offense'; the official pages opened do not separately discuss lower-level (disorderly persons) offenses. R.S.19:4-1(6) and (7) also bar people convicted of violating New Jersey's election law (Title 19) when loss of the vote was part of the punishment, but only 'while serving a sentence of incarceration'; those paragraphs are not limited to indictable offenses, which is why felony_only is false.¹

R.S.19:4-1(8) bars only a person 'serving a sentence of incarceration as the result of a conviction' of an indictable offense, so it does not reach people held before trial. The official pages opened do not separately address pretrial detention; the sponsor's statement on 2026 bill S4240 (introduced, not law) says people 'detained pending trial' retain the right to vote.^1,3

Convictions from another state or federal court

R.S.19:4-1(8) covers incarceration for a conviction of an indictable offense 'under the laws of this or another state or of the United States'.¹

What's changed

March 17, 2020: P.L.2019, c.270, approved December 18, 2019 and effective 90 days after enactment, limited the loss of voting rights to people serving a sentence of incarceration for an indictable offense, so people on probation or parole may vote. It also limited court-imposed loss of the vote for election-law convictions to the period of incarceration.¹

The law

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This page explains New Jersey's general rules from its law and election office. It isn't legal advice, and a case can turn on the details of a sentence. The election office can confirm your status.

Spot something out of date? Tell us at contact@secondchanceindex.com.

Cite this page

Second Chance Index, "Can you vote with a felony in New Jersey?" https://secondchanceindex.com/voting-rights/new-jersey, checked October 22, 2026.

Sources

Each source was opened and checked on October 22, 2026.

N.J.S.A. 19:4-1 (R.S.19:4-1), as amended by P.L.2019, c.270
Voter RegistrationNew Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections
Senate, No. 4240 (2026 session), as introducedNew Jersey Legislature
2026 Election Information and ResultsNew Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections