On January 28, 2026, it was reported that council candidates for the First, Second, and Third Wards must submit a nominating petition comprising at least 25 separate certificates, each signed by registered voters and residents of their respective wards who have lived there for at least one year.

However, following the January 28, 2026, press release, the Law Department confirmed that Governor Murphy's Bill A-5117 /S-3994, specifically Section 4 of P.L. 1981, c. 379 (C.40:45-8), sets the number of required petitions based on the 2020 Census, P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data. The 2020 Census reports that the First Ward population is 23,620, the Second Ward population is 23,746, and the Third Ward population is 24,320. Therefore, council candidates for the First, Second, and Third Wards need at least 50 valid signatures in their respective wards (not the previously reported at least 25 separate certificates), based on the population range of 10,000 to 25,000 residents in each ward.

According to the most recent 2020 census, which reported Bayonne's population as 71,686, candidates for mayor and council member at-large must obtain at least 100 valid signatures.

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